'Christian Pulisic is on an epic run' - Herculez Gomez praises Milan star's form, says USMNT standout is finally reaching his potential

Gomez contextualized Pulisic's journey through European football, noting that while the Pennsylvania native showed undeniable quality during his previous stints, consistency proved elusive. Pulisic had a breakthrough at Dortmund as a teenager, and then a  promising but injury-interrupted stint at Chelsea before moving to Milan.

“Christian Pulisic here, you’re talking about those moments he had of brilliance against teams like Real Madrid while he was a Dortmund,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. "And then he would go to Chelsea and he had isolated moments. Champions League runs. He was a big part against Porto. He was a big part against Real Madrid and of why they advanced to the final and in winning the Champions League. And during that Premier League, Chelsea run, it was lockdown Pulisic.

"He had a good string of games where, like, this is exactly who we thought Christian Pulisic was going to be. And as many, in the pool players for Chelsea found out, it wasn't going to be that way. His future wasn't at that club. Now he comes over to AC Milan, and he's been there just over two seasons. And since the time that Christian Pulisic has been in Milan, has been in Serie A, he has absolutely without a doubt been one of the best players in the league, by far."

Gomez emphasized Pulisic's statistical impact in Italy's top flight this season, as the American has established himself as the league's most productive attacking player.

“Easy to say he's productive," Gomez said. "Since he got to Italy, 46 goal contributions, goals and assist - more than any other player in Italian football. Lautaro Martinez, more than him - and he was a Ballon d’Or candidate a few seasons ago. And I'm not talking shortlist of 30, I'm talking about top-five type player. Christian Pulisic is on an epic run that he's never been on.

“And you can say what you want about Serie A... this is a very good league, tactically, very difficult to be productive in. And Christian Pulisic is being productive. And he's being productive with all types of coaches. He's being productive in all types of systems.”

Gomez said that Pulisic is finally reaching his potential.

“He is now, who many thought he could be," he said. "If you're asking yourself, the world, if Christian Pulisic is world-class, here's the evidence. It's not fandom. It's what he's doing right now, what he's been doing in Serie A and what hopefully he stays healthy and will continue to do to do.”

Gomez also addressed Pulisic's controversial decision to skip this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup to rest his body in preparation for the season ahead. He suggested the American's form represents clear vindication of that choice.

“He decided that the best thing for himself in the summer was to take a break, because his body needed it,” Gomez said.. “Most people don’t know… he had a hip issue. So he decided to prioritize his health and not go with the USMNT in a secondary tournament... when he decided that, he’s now proving that was best for his health."

The timing of Pulisic's career renaissance couldn't be better for both his club and country with the American thriving so far this season. He has contributed to eight goals in seven games, a tally that includes six in the Serie A alone. The Rossoneri face Juventus next before the October international break on Oct. 5.