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</li><li>USMNT coach emphasizes importance of having recognizable star for program growth
</li><li>Argentinian manager's comments reflect high expectations ahead of 2026 World Cup
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‘Christian Pulisic should be our Messi' - USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes AC Milan star has reached 'iconic' level

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U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes Christian Pulisic should aim to become the American equivalent of Lionel Messi. Speaking on the Unfiltered Podcast with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, Pochettino said the AC Milan winger has the talent and profile to be the face of soccer in the United States.
“I don’t want to be disrespectful with Messi or with Pulisic… but I think in this country, Pulisic should be our Messi,” Pochettino said. “Because he’s an iconic player. The kid on the street - for sure, if you ask about one soccer player in this country, it’s Pulisic.”
Pochettino praised the 25-year-old’s growth over the past year, both at the club and international level.
“Christian, in the last year, was showing great quality, and he’s performing in Europe, and also he’s performing here in the national team,” he said. “He’s a very talented player who can help us to win.”
Though Pulisic won’t be part of the USMNT’s Gold Cup squad this summer, Pochettino’s comments make clear the level of respect the manager has for his star player.

WHAT HAPPENED

Pochettino further touched on whether he feels disappointed with Pulisic <a href="U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes Christian Pulisic should aim to become the American equivalent of Lionel Messi. Speaking on the Unfiltered podcast with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, Pochettino said the AC Milan winger has the talent and profile to be the face of soccer in the United States. “I don’t want to be disrespectful with Messi or with Pulisic… but I think in this country, Pulisic should be our Messi,” Pochettino said. “Because he’s an iconic player. The kid on the street—for sure, if you ask about one soccer player in this country, it’s Pulisic.” Pochettino praised the 25-year-old’s growth over the past year, both at club and international level. “Christian in the last year was showing great quality and he’s performing in Europe and also he’s performing here in the national team,” he said. “He’s a very talented player that can help us to win.” Though Pulisic won’t be part of the USMNT’s Gold Cup squad this summer, Pochettino’s comments make clear just how central the winger is to the national team’s identity moving forward." target="_self">opting to miss the Gold Cup</a> and use the opportunity to take rest instead after a long season.“When you talk about if I feel disappointed or not, I think we have very good communication with our players, and Christian is a very nice guy and very committed with the national team, and he wants to help," Pochettino said. "And of course, he’s desperate to play the World Cup and arrive in the best condition. In all this conversation that we were having with the player, I think, that was the best, maybe, decision to help him because every player is in different circumstances.” He added, "I think the teammates respect Christian and Antonee, but the thing is sometimes you need to put the interest in medium-long-term than in the present.”The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain head coach also talked about the March international break and his reaction to the USMNT’s Nations League finish.“For me, after the March camp, I said ‘OK, I don’t care about nothing, I want to win tomorrow and I want to win," he said.Although Pochettino appeared to be understanding of Pulisic and Robinson's decision to miss the Gold Cup, he acknowledged that it is challenging to determine his best squad, considering all the absences. "I think we are all focused on the World Cup, and sometimes we need to be open and flexible in some decisions," he explained. “When we talk about this type of decision for us, I think it was a tough decision because I think we agreed because it was also our idea. It was our decision, in the end, because if you say you need to come, but I think we cannot force the players to come. But I think I need to be fair and say, it was a collective decision to try to find the best for the national team and for the best for the player.”<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="362" src="https://youtube.com/embed/s98iexHglGI" title="YouTube video player" width="644"></iframe>

WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID

Pulisic's career trajectory has seen him become the most accomplished male American soccer player in European club competition, with stints at Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and now AC Milan. His 2024-25 season with Milan proved particularly successful, with 17 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, silencing critics who questioned his move to Serie A.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The United States Men's National Team continues its preparation for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup with upcoming friendly matches against Turkey on June 7 and Switzerland on June 10. That is before their Gold Cup starts on June 14, with their first contest against Trinidad and Tobago.

WHAT’S NEXT?

‘Christian Pulisic should be our Messi - USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes AC Milan star has reached 'iconic' level | Goal.com

The Argentine coach has made a bold comparison between Pulisic and Messi, suggesting the AC Milan star should embrace a similarly iconic role 

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