USA boss Gregg Berhalter has hailed the performance of Christian Pulisic after his side’s 2-1 win against Northern Ireland today.
Gregg Berhalter said “Christian got the coaches’ man of the match and US Soccer insider’s [fan-voted] man of the match, so glad that we’re aligned on that, What I’d say about Christian is, forget about the stuff he did on the ball, he just competed today. When he’s on that type of mode, he’s just an unbelievable player. That’s what I was most happy with today. Relentless pressing, just kept going and going, he’s so good on the ball, he can unbalance the [opposition] team. To me, he had an overall really strong performance.”
Pulisic was on target for the USMNT as they won 2-1 at Windsor Park, with the Chelsea forward scoring from the penalty spot to give his side a 2-0 lead, after Giovanni Reyna had opened the scoring. And although Niall McGinn scored a late consolation for Northern Ireland, it was not enough to earn a share of the spoils in the international friendly. For Pulisic, it was a valuable 90 minutes of action, having been in and out of the Chelsea side at times this season, with the USA international hoping to figure more under Thomas Tuchel when the Premier League returns next weekend after the international break, having only started once since the German took charge in January. But for his international manager, he was under no illusions as to what Pulisic could offer his side and Thomas Tuchel as he praised the 22-year-old after the game.
It has been a stop-start season for Pulisic, who has scored three goals in 30 appearances for club and country, with the former Borussia Dortmund star struggling at times with injuries after an impressive first campaign with the Blues. Gregg Berhalter’s comments are likely to be music to the ears of Tuchel, who will no doubt enjoy seeing one of his players getting himself into some form while on international duty.