Former USMNT boss Bob Bradley speaks to GOAL about the Americans’ World Cup-opening win, his bond with Mo Salah, 2010 memories and his desire to coach again.
Christian Pulisic did not join the rest of his U.S. Men's National Team teammates for training Monday, instead completing an individual workout with team trainers. The session came after Pulisic exited at halftime of the USMNT's 4-1 World Cup-opening win over Paraguay after taking a kick to a pre-existing leg injury.
The USMNT’s 4-1 World Cup-opening win over Paraguay drew 15.986 million viewers across FOX, FOX One and Tubi, making it the most-watched USMNT telecast ever and another major sign of soccer’s growing pull in the United States. The broadcast peaked at 18.86 million viewers, while the match also became the most-streamed English-language USMNT game on record.
Christian Pulisic revealed he suffered a kick, which ultimately led to his substitution ahead of the second half of the USMNT's 4-1 thrashing over Paraguay in their World Cup home opener. Despite the star winger missing the second half, Mauricio Pochettino's side padded their lead and scored the most World Cup goals in team history.
It was a near-perfect World Cup opener for Mauricio Pochettino's side as they swept away their opponents in a way that will be remembered for a long, long time.
The wait is over. Christian Pulisic and the USMNT open their home World Cup vs Paraguay on Friday, with Chris Richards' fitness and key decisions in focus.
In March, after the U.S. men's national team suffered back-to-back humblings at the hands of Belgium and Portugal, Mauricio Pochettino wondered aloud about the players he had at his disposal. Whether that vocal wondering came from a place of honesty or from a place of motivation, only Pochettino knows. The only certainty was that his assessment was blunt: his team, man for man, wasn't as good as the elite.
Throughout the last few years, American soccer has routinely pleaded with Christian Pulisic to acknowledge reality. The question has come in different forms, but it has always circled the same idea: Does he feel the weight of being the face of the U.S. men's national team heading into a home World Cup?
GOAL breaks down who boosted their case, who still has questions to answer, and what Mauricio Pochettino may have learned from the USMNT's final pre-World Cup friendlies.
Brad Friedel has - during an exclusive interview with GOAL - sought to play down expectations around “poster boy” Christian Pulisic, but considers four other players to sit alongside ‘Captain America’ in the USMNT’s “undroppable” pool. The United States are considered to be working with a ‘Golden Generation’ of talent as a home World Cup is taken in.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
