USMNT is building around Christian Pulisic but Chelsea will not

Christian Pulisic is the centerpiece of the new look United States men’s national team. That does not mean he will be Chelsea’s centerpiece.

Chelsea paid big on Christian Pulisic’s potential. The young Dortmund winger has had a rough go of things the past year or so but he is a quality player for his age. The United States men’s national team coached by Gregg Berhalter finally called the American in and built around him.

Pulisic played against Ecuador as the left centermid in a 4-3-3. In reality, he operated more as an out and out 10 as the US dominated possession. Ecuador gave him little space in his central position to operate and he was subbed off around the hour mark.

And the US commentary continually pointed out that he was coming in to replace Eden Hazard which is simply untrue. Pulisic was never bought by Chelsea to be that centerpiece to build around like the USMNT has done. Pulisic was brought in to be another member of the team and that cannot get lost in the narrative around him.

Regardless of what happens with the transfer ban, Zinedine Zidane’s return to Real Madrid and Hazard’s dwindling contract basically guarantees that Hazard will leave this summer. Pulisic coming in on loan for a big price will be seen as a replacement by some but that was never the plan.

Back in January, it was unclear what Hazard would do and the ban was not yet a thing. But it did seem clear that one of Pedro or Willian (or perhaps even both) would be leaving in the summer. That is where Pulisic comes in. The American was bought to replace one of those two in the squad. Hazard leaving is now an unconnected story that some keep trying to connect to Pulisic arriving.

That would be unfair to Pulisic. The American is a talent and can get much better, but he will not come in and be the star Hazard is (at least not right away). If Pulisic is judged against Hazard’s impact because “he was brought to replace him” then he will not meet the grade. Pulisic just is not the type of player to turn a game around at a moment’s notice.

Pulisic is, however, the type of player that can make a side function better as a whole. Willian gets a lot of stick for not producing high goal or assist numbers, but it is what he does before the stats sheet that has made him important to Chelsea. Pulisic is the same type of player. He will work hard on and off the ball to set teammates up in better positions than himself.

The USMNT makes Pulisic their center piece because he is the most talented US player. That is why they keep trying to make him a 10 or put him into the midfield when his strength lies on the flank. And while that makes (some) sense for the US, putting so much on Pulisic’s shoulders with Chelsea would not.

Chelsea and USMNT fans need to view Pulisic in the right way when he arrives at Chelsea. He is not the new Hazard nor should he be judged as such. Judge him based on how he helps the side overall, not how he fills the hole Hazard will surely leave. Then, he can be seen on his own merits and judged properly.