'Real focus on just the fighting spirit of the team' - AC Milan's Christian Pulisic says Mauricio Pochettino’s culture shift is taking hold with the USMNT

Pulisic framed Pochettino’s influence as cultural and tactical, arguing the Argentine coach wants the USMNT to mirror the collective toughness seen in elite international teams. 

“I mean I would say when we’re in camp and leading up to games, I think he has a real focus on just the fighting spirit of the team,” Pulisic told CBS Sports Golazo. “I think kind of with the South American background too, the Argentinian is very, I mean, you can see when they play. They have the best player, potentially ever, but they have 10 other guys around them to run through a brick wall and do all those things.

“And I think that’s kind of what he wants to instill within the team. And that fighting kind of nasty spirit, and I think that’s his main focus.”

While Pulisic acknowledged it is hard to measure a wholesale transformation without a steady run of competitive matches, he believes the seeds of that identity are beginning to take hold.

 “I think it has, it’s tough without the competitive, the more competitive games. [of World Cup qualifying] to really know," Pulisic said. "I think even in some of the friendlies we’ve played, I feel like the team does have a togetherness about them. And I feel very positive about where we are going.”

Beyond tactical change, Pulisic described the 2026 World Cup as a personal driving force: a chance to help elevate the game in the United States and to give young American players tangible role models to emulate. 

“Like truly, it’s one of my biggest inspirations is to kind of push the game back in the US and especially to inspire the next generation,” Pulisic explained. “I mean, like we talked about, having an American player in Europe and being able to look up to a guy who’s doing incredible things, it pushed me so much to want to do that, to want to be that much better. To believe and see, ‘Okay, he’s done it now, I can do it too.’

“And I hope that some people have watched me play and maybe thought that….I hope that I can inspire a lot of people around the world especially American kids because it’s a an incredible life, an incredible journey that I’ve been on. And I hope that people can see that.”

The American forward won’t be with the USMNT for the November international break as he continues his recovery back to full fitness.

As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup continues, Pochettino faces the challenge of balancing player development with tactical implementation. The November international window represents one of the limited opportunities remaining for the coach to work with his full squad before the tournament begins.