Tag: Christian Pulisic

The Americans Abroad Five season review: The best and worst of 2022-23

Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down

With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.

In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.

That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.

Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.

Pulisic hints at Chelsea exit: ‘A lot of things can change’

The USMNT star did not exactly deny the reports he’s played his last game at Chelsea

Christian Pulisic has hinted that he may have played his last Chelsea game, admitting that the last two years at Stamford Bridge haven’t gone at all how he wanted.

Pulisic has just completed his least productive season with Chelsea, struggling with a knee injury midseason and being mostly glued to the bench at the end of the season, scoring just one goal in all competitions.

The U.S. national team star has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge and is widely expected to be sold as part of a larger summer clear-out at the club.

Pulisic has been linked with a host of teams across Europe, including Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli, Newcastle and Manchester United, among others.

Before he sorts out his club future, though, Pulisic is with the USMNT ahead of its CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Mexico on June 15. The 24-year-old said he was looking forward to being back with the U.S. and hopefully getting the chance to play.

“It’s been a really tough season for me personally and for our team of course at a club level,” Pulisic told reporters on Monday. “So for me, it’s just about coming in here and having a fresh start and being able to be a part of a team that hopefully can come out and win some games.

“I’m really excited to be here and just to get some minutes on the field and get back to being that confident player that I know I can be … and just enjoying the game because it feels like it’s been tough to do that lately.”

Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Quizzed on his Chelsea future, the winger did not deny the speculation that he could be departing after four years in west London.

“It’s been an interesting journey at club level for me,” he said. “I had what I thought was a great couple of years. And the last couple of years just haven’t gone at all how I planned them to be.

“Right now my focus is obviously here with the national team. I’m just excited to get back playing and just enjoying myself and do what I love to do out on the field.

“And from there this summer, we’re obviously going to have to see what happens. It’s obviously very early. As of right now, I’m a Chelsea player and I plan to go back, but a lot of things can happen. A lot of things can change.”

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The Americans Abroad Five: What could have been for Dortmund and Reyna

The American excelled off the bench again, but it couldn’t prevent a devastating outcome

It has not been the greatest season overall for Americans in Europe’s top leagues (more on that in a future post), and the final weekend of play fittingly contained plenty of agony — and a couple silver linings.

The world headquarters for sports agony this weekend was the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, where the home side was in prime position to clinch its first Bundesliga title in 11 years. All it needed to do was win against mid-table Mainz, a team with nothing to play for.

Reader, Borussia Dortmund did not win against mid-table Mainz, a team with nothing to play for.

Despite the devastation for Gio Reyna and co., it wasn’t a complete wash for Americans Abroad — or even in Americans in Germany — this weekend.

Let’s look back on a weekend filled with the highest highs and lowest lows for some Americans Abroad.

Napoli president wants to sign an American, doesn’t think highly of MLS

The Serie A champions have been linked with two USMNT players this week

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he’s hoping to sign an American player, taking a swipe at MLS in the process.

De Laurentiis just watched his side achieve a historic Serie A title, winning the Italian top flight for the first time in 33 years. Looking ahead to next season, the president said he’d like to add players from two countries for Napoli’s title defense.

“I would like to add more players. I would like to have an American, because in America even if the league is worth little, there are great players who shine in the national team,” De Laurentiis told La Repubblica.

“And then a Japanese player, already having a Korean in the team (Kim Min-jae), since there is great development of football in the East and there are new names to consider.”

Which American could Napoli sign?

Napoli has been linked with two USMNT players in the past week.

Corriere dello Sport said that Christian Pulisic is on the club’s radar, with the USMNT star widely expected to leave Chelsea after a disappointing campaign.

On Friday, AreaNapoli.it reported that Napoli had reached out to representatives of FC Dallas and USMNT striker Jesús Ferreira. The 22-year-old could reportedly be available for a €12 million fee.

Though there were as many as four Americans in Serie A last season (Weston McKennie, Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessman, Bryan Reynolds), there is only one currently in the Italian top flight: Sergiño Dest. However, the AC Milan right back hasn’t played since January and he’s expected to return to Barcelona when his loan ends at the conclusion of the season.

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The Americans Abroad Five: The low point for Christian Pulisic

It’s gone from bad to worse for the USMNT star

Christian Pulisic has hit the nadir of his club career.

Injuries have impacted the U.S. national team star far too often in recent seasons but when healthy, he’s pretty much always played.

Not anymore.

The culprit has ironically been Frank Lampard, the manager under whom Pulisic has had he most success during his time at Chelsea. This time around as caretaker manager, Lampard has played Pulisic in just two of his seven games in charge.

Pulisic was shut out again in both of Chelsea’s matches this past week, including a game in which he was a healthy scratch for a Premier League matchday squad for the first time this season.

How have things got this bad? Does the winger deserve to be benched so often? Let’s take a look to lead off this week’s Five.

Pulisic dropped from Chelsea squad for Arsenal match

Pulisic has seen the field in just two of Frank Lampard’s six games in charge

When Frank Lampard took over as Chelsea caretaker manager, there was some optimism that the appointment could boost Christian Pulisic in the middle of another tough year at Stamford Bridge.

Pulisic’s best time at Chelsea came when Lampard was previously in charge, and the USMNT star has spoken highly of the Chelsea legend in the past. But just like Lampard‘s overall tenure so far, Pulisic‘s time under the manager has been extremely not fun.

The latest low came on Tuesday when Pulisic did not even make the bench for Chelsea’s game against Arsenal.

There was no indication that Pulisic was injured. If the American was indeed not hurt, it would mark the first time all season he was a healthy scratch for a Premier League matchday squad.

Pulisic has not seen the field in four of Chelsea’s six games under Lampard and after falling 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea has lost all six of those games.

Overall this season, Pulisic has one goal and two assists in 27 games for the club, of which only 10 have been starts.

Following the Gunners match, Chelsea only has five games remaining this season, which, not coincidentally, is probably the amount of games Pulisic has remaining in his Chelsea career.

The 24-year-old is expected to be a part of a summer clear-out at Stamford Bridge after a hugely disappointing season for the club. Pulisic has one year remaining on his current contract.

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Chelsea turn back time as Frank Lampard appointed caretaker manager

For a limited time only, Lampard is back at Stamford Bridge

They say you can’t go home again, but if you’re Frank Lampard, you can at least stop by for a prolonged visit.

The former England midfielder has been appointed Chelsea’s caretaker manager, returning to the club where he spent around 15 years as a player and coach.

“We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement.

“Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season. We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.”

Chelsea found themselves with a managerial opening after dismissing Graham Potter just seven months after hiring him to replace Thomas Tuchel. It doesn’t take a particularly robust memory to recall that Tuchel was himself sacked back in September as Boehly seemed to believe that cleaning house was essential after buying the club last summer.

Lampard will be the fourth person to act as Chelsea’s manager this season, following Bruno Saltor’s one-game role as an interim boss saw the Blues and Liverpool battle to a scoreless draw on Tuesday.

Lampard will hold the role through the end of the season, with Chelsea reportedly considering a list of candidates that includes Julian Nagelsmann (jobless after being shockingly fired by Bayern Munich), Mauricio Pochettino, Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Oliver Glasner and former Spain boss Luis Enrique.

Chelsea’s roughly one-and-a-half season run under Lampard from July 2019 to January 2021 was a decidedly mixed experience. In 2019-20, Lampard guided Chelsea to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, an FA Cup final, and to advancement out of a potentially difficult Champions League group.

However, they were 33 points behind the Liverpool side that won the league, lost that FA Cup final to Arsenal, and crashed out of the League Cup (to Manchester United) and Champions League (after a 7-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich) earlier than the club had hoped.

The following season started off well enough, with just one Premier League loss in their first 11 matches and an emphatic first-place finish in their Champions League group. The wheels would fall off in December, though, with Chelsea taking just seven points from his final eight league matches in charge.

Lampard’s struggles would end up in sharp relief after his successor Thomas Tuchel would lead the Blues to a Champions League trophy and a climb back into the top four.

Opportunity for Pulisic

Chelsea were clearly hit-or-miss under Lampard, even if we’re being generous, but one player who thrived for at least part of his time in charge is Christian Pulisic.

In the 2019-20 season, his first following several seasons with Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic produced 11 goals and 10 assists. That made him Chelsea’s most prolific set-up man, and only Tammy Abraham scored more goals for the club.

That represents Pulisic’s best season as a professional, and his time in London since has largely been a pursuit of that kind of form and consistent place in a given manager’s team. Even under Lampard, it must be said that the 2020-21 campaign saw Pulisic score just two goals in 17 appearances across all competitions.

Still, a new manager is always an opportunity, and Pulisic will be looking to force his way back into more regular minutes. Whether his long-term future is with Chelsea or not, it’s a big moment for the U.S. men’s national team attacker.

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The Americans Abroad Five: Is Malik Tillman ready for Bayern?

The on-loan Rangers star may have played himself into a state of purgatory

Every time Malik Tillman puts in a strong performance, which is pretty often these days, Rangers manager Michael Beale is forced to once again address the midfielder’s status at the club beyond this season.

And every time, Beale basically says the same thing: Yes he wants to keep Tillman. Yes, he thinks Tillman would like to stay long term. Yes, Rangers are in talks to make it happen. And no, he doesn’t know if it’s actually going to work.

Tillman’s one-year loan from Bayern Munich has a unique structure: Rangers hold a purchase option worth a reported £5 million. That’s looking like an increasingly easy decision for Rangers but there’s a catch: Bayern also reportedly holds a buy-back clause that it could trigger immediately after Rangers use their own purchase option.

It would see Rangers make an instant profit, and instantly lose a player they see as a cornerstone for the future.

Prior to the season, the 20-year-old was virtually unproven in senior club soccer. Now he’s played himself into a weird state of purgatory: maybe too good for the Scottish Premiership but also maybe not ready for the 10-time defending Bundesliga champions.

Tillman’s breakout campaign and his intriguing summer ahead lead this week’s Americans Abroad Five.

USMNT player ratings: Pulisic dominates in Grenada rout

The USMNT’s big names sure played like it Friday night

The U.S. men’s national team was supposed to handle Grenada with ease, and it turns out that’s exactly what they did.

Returning to CONCACAF Nations League play for the first time since June 2022, the USMNT steamrolled the Spice Boys, scoring early and often in a 7-1 victory.

Just knowing the scoreline, even a person that didn’t see the game could probably divine some of the ratings here. Christian Pulisic was dominant from kickoff, Weston McKennie conjured up two goals, and Alex Zendejas marked his becoming cap-tied to the team with a goal. If you’re a USMNT fan, it was a fun Friday night.

With that in mind, our ratings for a game that was never particularly close:

Folarin Balogun confirmed in Orlando, not confirmed as a USMNT player

Balogun is on vacation, the international decision might take him a minute

Is Folarin Balogun going to suit up for the U.S. men’s national team?

The question remains open, but of late has heated up significantly. USMNT Twitter flew into an uproar on Wednesday after Balogun posted photos of himself in Orlando, though it wasn’t entirely clear when the photos were taken or why he posted those photos.

Coming on the heels of a cryptic Balogun Instagram post last week after he was not called up by England, and interim USMNT coach Anthony Hudson admitting the federation was “in open dialogue” with the 21-year-old, things were bound to ramp up further. Fans wanting the Reims marksman to commit to the USMNT, as opposed to his options with the Three Lions or Nigeria, filled the rest of the information in with assumptions that he’s already made up his mind.

Things reached a fever pitch when the Orlando Magic confirmed Balogun was in town on Thursday, sharing photos of the striker with a “Balogun 9” Magic jersey ahead of their tipoff with the New York Knicks.

Speaking to reporters later on Thursday from Grenada ahead of the USMNT’s Nations League match against the Spice Boys, Hudson cautioned that no commitments had been made, and in fact nothing much else has happened.

“He’s out here having a little bit of a break, and some training, and we’ve had some discussions. Now it’s about him just enjoying the rest of his trip,” said Hudson. “I think it’s good because it’s been an opportunity for us just to share about our program and who we are, and what we do. And again, hope we get the chance to speak with him again. It’s been good to me, and I know a few of the guys have spoken to him as well.”

Christian Pulisic, who Hudson said will captain the team with Tyler Adams (hamstring) unavailable in this window, backed that up, but said that he wasn’t on the list of people blowing up Balogun’s phone.

“I haven’t really spoken to him personally,” said Pulisic. “I know some of the guys that know him from previous teams or whatever have reached out to him and spoken to him. From our side, we’d love to have him.”

Balogun Watch will continue with breathless updates, whether he’s announcing which national team he’ll be scoring goals for or just checking out the sights at Epcot Center.

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