Christian Pulisic’s latest decision has Chelsea fans scratching their heads, but he’s since justified that decision and make a smart new one.
This international break—and many throughout the 2020/21 season—are pointless. We here at The Pride of London have harped on that fact a few more times than probably necessary, but some still don’t seem to get it. In addition to the rising risk of injuries due to fatigue, the worst pandemic since 1918 is still a prevalent issue. This isn’t just a Chelsea gripe either, many teams around the world have a problem with this reckless split from league play.
For the aforementioned reasons, one can imagine the shock on the faces of Blues faithful when Christian Pulisic got the call up to the U.S. Men’s International Team. This surprise had nothing to do with his talent or the travel—especially considering the USMNT came across the pond for matches—but rather his lingering injury. Why would Chelsea’s No. 10 accept an invite to the United States’ training while nursing a recurring hamstring problem? It actually makes sense now.
Pulisic made the difficult decision to withdraw from the camp on Wednesday. He joined his national teammates in Cardiff for training over the weekend and spent a few days with them before coming to a conclusion. Although this was never announced, it’d be hard to believe this wasn’t the plan all along.
The 22-year-old hasn’t featured in a competitive match since October 28 against Krasnodar. He pulled up with an injury before the Burnley match that forced the Blues to make an emergency pre-match substitution. Previously, Pulisic suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup final against Arsenal. He played in a handful of matches before finding himself on the sideline again. These reasons made his decision to join the USMNT for this break even more baffling. However, it’s now safe to assume his decision was purely based on social politics, if you will.
Pulisic hasn’t spent time with Gregg Berhalter’s side since 2019, largely due to the impact of Coronavirus. Despite being one of the youngest players involved with the team, his stardom has given him a newfound leadership role. The Hershey, Pennsylvania native met up with his teammates ahead of their contests against Wales and Panama. Berhalter noted it was nice to have Pulisic back around camp where he could socialize with teammates and coaches.
Pulisic will depart the America temporary training facility in Wales and head back to London during the week. He’ll spend time at the Chelsea facilities rehabbing his injury and focusing on coming back 100 percent healthy on the other side of the break. The Blues have some important matches coming up—including Spurs, Leeds and the second half of the Champions League group stage—and it’d be nice to have the winger ready to go for those games.
The decision to depart from London seemed rather reckless at first, but now it’s justified seeing as his purpose was to merely be present and lead by example. Pulisic’s maturity has been impressive at the international level, and also around Stamford Bridge. He’s got many young players around him in both camps; it’s reassuring to know the reserved youngster is somebody Frank Lampard can count on down the road—both on and off the pitch.
Luckily for football fans everywhere, this is the last scheduled international break for the next four months. National teams will regroup again in March, but until then, you’ll be spared from reading more passionately annoyed rants about the hiatus barring any significant changes.