Christian Pulisic will ‘prove everyone wrong’ at Chelsea, says USMNT coach Greg Berhalter

Chelsea’s American winger Christian Pulisic has been backed by USMNT team boss Greg Berhalter to ‘prove everyone wrong’ at the club once he gets a run of games after the transfer window slams shut on Thursday.

The 23-year-old has struggled for game time, three months ahead of the US’s first World Cup encounter against Wales on November 21. 

He has been sparingly used so far in his fourth season with Chelsea, coming on as a second-half substitute with seven-to-27 minutes of match action left in the Blues’ first five Premier League games.

‘I’m a guy that bets on Christian just because I’ve seen it before,’ Berhalter told ESPN on Wednesday after attending an event promoting Nike’s latest World Cup kit launch for The Stars and Stripes on September 15. 

‘He is not counted on in a way that he’d like to, and he gets on the field and he proves everyone wrong and he ends up playing. I mean that’s what he’s been doing. So I tend to believe that’s going to happen. And I think his mind is in a good spot and I think he’s going to fight for it because that’s the type of guy he is.’ 

‘I’m a guy that bets on Christian just because I’ve seen it before,’ Berhalter told ESPN on Wednesday of his side’s captain. ‘He is not counted on in a way that he’d like to, and he gets on the field and he proves everyone wrong and he ends up playing. I mean that’s what he’s been doing. So I tend to believe that’s going to happen. And I think his mind is in a good spot and I think he’s going to fight for it because that’s the type of guy he is.’

Pulisic has yet to find the back of the next this season, and has been linked with a move away from Chelsea throughout the summer although the club has confirmed that he will stay on and still remains a part of manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans. 

The former Borussia Dortmund player, however, will soon have to hit the ground running as competition for spots on the USMNT’s 26-man squad for Qatar is fierce.

Several attacking Americans players plying their trade in Europe have sought moves this summer in search for regular game time. 

Sergino Dest, who Barcelona want to get rid of to accommodate their new signings, is set to join Italian side AC Milan on loan; and Ricardo Pepi has also completed a loan move to Dutch side Groningen from FC Augsburg in Germany.

Furthermore, attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson, 21, joined Leeds United for $28.5 million and has one goal and one assist to his name so far in the new Premier League season. While, Jordan Pefok, 26, has scored three times in his first five games with Union Berlin, scoring twice in the Bundesliga. 

In the Championship, 22-year-old Josh Sargent has score four goal in seven matches for Norwich. Haji Wright, 24, has scored five times in four matches for Turkish side Antalysapor in the Süper Lig. 

‘You hope that they keep scoring and you hope that they make it difficult for us as a staff,’ Berhalter said of some of his players’ red hot start with their respective clubs.

‘You certainly would rather pick from guys that are scoring than guys that aren’t scoring. And with Ricardo Pepi going to Groningen, hopefully he’s going to get into gear also and then make it challenging,’ he added. 

Pulisic (left) will have to be wary of other American attackers in Europe who have enjoyed successful starts to the new season with their new clubs. Amongst one of them is 21-year-old Brendon Aaronson (right), who has scored one goal and assisted once for his new club, Leeds United.

MLS forward Brandon Vazquez is another name that USMNT fans have been mentioning ahead of the US’s last World Cup preparation matches against Saudi Arabia and Japan in September

Back in the US, MLS fans have backed 23-year-old Brandon Vazquez to earn his first USMNT call-up and gatecrash Gregg Berhalter’s squad in September for matches against Saudi Arabia and Japan after scoring 16 goals for FC Cincinnati this season. 

Dallas FC’s Jesus Ferreira, 21, trails Vazquez by one goal and is also fighting for a spot on the plane for Qatar. 

‘I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I think it does make it more difficult — doesn’t make it impossible, though,’ Berhalter said of Vazquez’s chance of making a late push to cement a place in the USMNT 

‘If you have four guys that have been in and are scoring and he’s the fifth who hasn’t been in and is scoring, it makes it more difficult,’ he added.