USMNT make a run to the World Cup Quarters if Christian Pulisic is ‘big-time,’ claims Stu Holden

FOX Soccer commentator Stu Holden believes the USMNT can get deep into the World Cup if Christian Pulisic performs at his peak.

The Chelsea man has been experiencing a mini-renaissance of late, showing flashes under new club manager Graham Potter, but will now move from the periphery to the spotlight with a waiting country watching.

Holden, who represented the USMNT 25 times, believes the USMNT can break out of Group B and go well past that milestone. However, there is a caveat.

Holden believes the US can make a run if Christian Pulisic is able to produce near his peak

“If we see the great Pulisic, this American team is going to have a run,” Holden continued FS1’s The Herd, Tuesday.

“I think if we’re going to have a deep run, and I’m talking about getting past the round of 16, reaching the quarter-finals, we need a star.

Pulisic is our star. He’s capable of doing things no one else on the team is capable of.”

The man nicknamed “Captain America” ​​for his special skills and for being the poster boy of American football has failed to shine in the most recent national team games.

But at the World Cup, it’s often moments of magic that matter more than anything else.

“He can score a goal in just one move,” Holden continued. “That’s what’s going to separate these games, which are going to be close.

Chelsea’s American star played 45 minutes in the London club’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday

Wales is a good team, Iran is a good team, England is a very good team. The United States is capable of beating them all, but it comes down to very tight, small game-decisive moments.

“And Pulisic is a guy who can deliver that most consistently, at a high level and give you that moment where you think ‘wow.'”

Holden also praised fellow USMNT face in Leeds United’s midfield enforcer.

Tyler Adams will be key for the US, but he was sent off for a second yellow card in a loss to Spurs

“Tyler Adams is probably the most important player for this team to be successful in the tournament,” he said.

“He’s going to be in midfield, he’s going to lead by example, he’s going to move, he’s going to control the intensity, he’s going to do things that other people can do [but] maybe not on the same level.’

Adams and Co. take on Wales in their first World Cup match on Monday against LAFC star Gareth Bales and the Wales national team, who have not played at the tournament since 1958.

The US will have to hold off LAFC star Gareth Bale (C) and Aaron Ramsey (R) in their first game