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With the USA set for its World Cup opener on Friday, what exactly will be required of star forward Christian Pulisic to make an impact this summer?
Expect him to let his play do the talking.
“Christian Pulisic is never going to be the personality people want him to be, the leader people want him to be. He’s going to lead by example,” FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas told Colin Cowherd on Monday’s edition of “The Herd.”
After a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany in the final tune-up game before the World Cup, Lalas went on to predict how Pulisic will handle his role as the focal point of the US attack.
When Cowherd questioned what kind of production is mandatory from Pulisic, Lalas responded that fans and media should not wait for the star forward to transform into a vocal leader in front of the cameras.
“He’s not very gregarious or larger than life when you see him interviewed. He doesn’t have to be,” Lalas added.
Instead, Lalas believes that Pulisic’s influence is entirely tied to his play on the pitch.
“He just has to go on the pitch, take players one-on-one and by doing that, he’ll draw a lot of defenders, open up space for others and then he’ll do what he’s so good at: beat players and provide the assist or finish the goal,” Lalas said.
“He has to be the star in the sense that he has to dominate matches. I think he can in this World Cup.”
No more underdogs
Christian Pulisic will lean on his leadership on the pitch. (Getty Images0
Lalas reiterated that because this modern roster has received support and resources from a young age, the old safety net of hiding behind the underdog tag has expired.
“Ultimately, when it comes to this team, we should expect more from this American team than we’ve ever had in the past. I don’t think it’s irrational or unfair to do that. Not grumpy ‘old man’ about it, but this is a generation that’s had absolutely everything from a very young age, and with that comes higher expectations,” Lalas said. “America, you should expect your team to win this group.”
If the U.S. takes care of business and wins Group B, which includes Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, the new 48-team tournament structure sets an easier path for the program in the single-elimination phase.
“Now you’re in this round of 32 where you’d be playing a team that you’re better than,” Lalas pointed out. “We’ve never been in a men’s World Cup where we play in a knockout game against a team that we’re better than. You take care of business there and you’re back to the round of 16.”
Should they navigate the unknown territory as the hunted rather than the hunter, the unique advantage of playing at home could push the team into uncharted territory.
“You need a little help from the football gods there, but this team, especially with the Magic [home] World Cup … you are in some nice air.”
Cowherd didn’t hesitate to drop his own bold prediction, predicting that the US will not only advance from the group stage, but win two games in the knockout games.
“We have added [more] teams in this World Cup, and they’re not powerhouse teams,” Cowherd noted. “There are some wins here that are potentially coming.”
2026 FIFA World Cup: How to watch
The WC takes place from June 11-19. July 2026. Split across three countries, the tournament culminates with the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live across FOX and FS1 with every game streaming live and on-demand on both the FOX One and FOX Sports apps.
