MIAMI, Florida – The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Sunday with 32 teams in pursuit of lifting the trophy and proclaiming themselves world champions.
Each of the four Concacaf teams in the tournament boast a special kind of player who is capable of making a play that can change the course of a game and swing things in their team’s favor.
For the United States, that player is Christian Pulisic.
At age 24, Christian Pulisic is already one of the most accomplished U.S. players of all-time. In 52 games with the U.S., he has 21 goals and 10 assists, making him seventh on the all-time U.S. scoring table, tied with Bruce Murray.
Some of Pulisic’s finest moments have come in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying. Between WCQ for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, Pulisic has a whopping 12 goals in 23 matches, including five goals in 10 WCQ games for Qatar 2022, scoring a hat trick versus Panama and tallying goals against Mexico and Honduras.
Pulisic has also proven to be a force in Concacaf competitions. In June 2021, he scored the winning goal in extra time to help deliver a 3-2 win for the U.S. against rivals Mexico in the Final of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League.
Across five games in the 2019-20 CNL and the 2022-23 edition, Pulisic has five goals to his name.
Two years prior to his 2019-20 CNL Final heroics, Pulisic scored three goals and added three assists in six games as the U.S. finished as runners-up in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. Not only did Pulisic capture the Best Young Player Award, but he also was selected to the tournament’s Best XI.
Pulisic also showcased his game-changing ability as a youth national team member, playing in three matches and scoring one goal versus Croatia at the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and then a year later in 2016 earning U.S. Male Young Player of the Year honors.
He has also starred at the club level, too, with English Premier League side Chelsea, with whom he won the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, becoming the first U.S. player to play in a UEFA Champions League Final.
At Qatar 2022, the table is set for Pulisic to show the rest of the world that he is the game-changer that can lead the U.S. to new heights.
