Four names placed alongside Christian Pulisic in USMNT ‘undroppable’ pool as Brad Friedel plays down ‘poster boy’ expectations around ‘Captain America’

That event will get underway on June 11, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side getting their campaign up and running against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on the second day of action.

They have another warm-up friendly against Germany to come on Saturday, having already impressed many in a 3-2 victory over Senegal. That contest saw Pulisic register his first goal of the calendar year.

Having posted personal bests on the goal front since joining AC Milan from Chelsea in 2023, the 27-year-old forward has endured a testing 2026. He last found the target in Serie A way back on December 28, 2025.

A run of 21 games for club and country was taken in before finally getting back into the groove against African opposition. The hope is that floodgates have been reopened just in time for the grandest of international tournaments to be graced.

The USMNT will be looking for their brightest star to illuminate a global spectacle in North America, but he cannot carry that weight of expectation all by himself. Fortunately, a number of other European-based performers have established reputations big enough that they are ready to thrive under the most dazzling of spotlights.

Asked about that pack, and whether Pulisic is so important to the collective cause that he will be picked regardless of domestic form, ex-USMNT goalkeeper Friedel - speaking to GOAL courtesy of MrQ - said: “I think what’s really important is the players don’t put the price tags on themselves. You know, when he [Pulisic] went for £60 million, and it was the social media bonanza out there, people automatically thought because of his price tag, he was the best this, the best at that, the leader, the everything. And not everyone’s built to be a leader.

“For me, it’s a case of lay off him, let him have zero pressure, and just let him perform and enjoy his football. And then I think we could see a really great Christian Pulisic. I think if he’s going to be the poster boy and going in front of all the interviews, etc, etc, that’s a lot to deal with.

“I think if you look at the core of the team, it’s more important that Chris Richards is fit. It’s more important that Antonee Robinson’s fit. It’s more important that Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are fit.

“These are the players I’d say were closer to being undroppable. I think if you have those four guys, then the others can fill in and let those four guys take the heap of the pressure and the criticism, because they can all deal with it easily.”

If the likes of Pulisic, Adams and McKennie can rise to the occasion this summer, then there is the potential for the USMNT to become dark horses that stride their way towards the latter stages of an expanded World Cup.

Reaching the last-32 will be the bare minimum requirement, with anything possible once knockout competition kicks in. ‘Captain America’ may have rediscovered his superpowers at just the right time, with a star-studded cast of fellow heroes ready to ‘Marvel’ alongside him at the greatest show on turf.