Christian Pulisic: The Impact of Berhalter’s USMNT Return and Departure, Pochettino’s Arrival, and the Burden of Celebrity
As the U.S. men’s national team transitions away from the Gregg Berhalter era, Christian Pulisic expressed his appreciation for the former coach but refuted claims suggesting he played a role in Berhalter’s contentious rehiring in the summer of 2023.
Pulisic, now with Milan, is busy promoting his new docuseries on Paramount+ while recovering from a calf injury sustained on December 13. In a recent interview with GQ magazine, he addressed the most challenging period of Berhalter’s tenure, specifically the events leading up to the coach’s return after the federation’s investigation into a domestic violence incident.
“That was a really tough situation,” Pulisic remarked regarding the aftermath. “Is it the player’s decision to bring a coach back? No, no, not at all. So that’s why it’s kind of a crazy thing to say.”
During the interim between Berhalter’s contract expiration at the end of 2022 and the nearly six-month wait for his return, Pulisic voiced public support for Berhalter, who had recently guided the team to the World Cup round of 16. After his return, Berhalter’s tenure lasted until this past summer when he was dismissed following a group-stage exit for the USMNT at the Copa America hosted in the U.S.
Pulisic insists his support for Berhalter stemmed from a desire to continue the positive momentum generated at the previous World Cup, rather than an attempt to sway the decision-making process.
“(If) we are looking from our perspective, we had just put on some really great performances at the World Cup and thought we had really grown as a team,” Pulisic stated. “So it did seem to us, at least from my perspective, and I know a lot of others’ perspectives, it was kind of unfair what had been going on.
Pulisic with Berhalter at the 2022 World Cup (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
“So it just kind of sucked at the time that that whole thing had to happen, because I think in any other normal world it would have just, it would have just continued. We wanted to keep growing.”
When asked if he thought Berhalter had been treated unfairly during the incident, Pulisic expressed that he largely believed he was.
Up until Berhalter’s firing following a Copa America performance that included losses to Panama and Uruguay, Pulisic’s close connection to the coach was evident.
When Berhalter’s job was uncertain, the typically reserved Pulisic openly defended him against criticism.
In a 2023 ESPN interview, Pulisic noted the team’s two Nations League titles and a Gold Cup win, expressing his confusion over the level of anti-Berhalter sentiment. “Are there things that you can criticize here and there? Sure. And I think he’d agree with that, but it just seems a bit crazy to me,” he said.
However, the U.S. team’s performance declined in the final months of Berhalter’s second tenure. The struggles at Copa America were not isolated; they marked the culmination of a negative trend.
This past September, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed with the goal of getting the team back on track for a strong performance at the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host. For Pulisic, his position in both the national team and his club performance in Europe indicate that no player is more pivotal to the success of the USMNT moving forward.
While he acknowledges the positives from a Qatar 2022 campaign that featured draws with Wales and England, along with a victory over Iran before a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the round of 16, Pulisic remarked: “Honestly, that loss just (gives) us that much hunger to go into the next one and try to win.”
Pulisic says the Netherlands loss has just made the USMNT want more at the home World Cup in 2026 (Elsa/Getty Images)
During the same GQ interview, Pulisic was cautious in his remarks about new coach Pochettino, likely aware that his comments could attract considerable attention. When asked about the atmosphere during the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea manager’s first national team camp, Pulisic was careful to avoid disparaging Berhalter and instead focused on how the team dynamics shifted:
“When there’s a new coach in the building at all, everyone is slightly more in tune and has to impress a little more … That’s a really solid thing for a team because it gets everyone just that much more alert.”
Having celebrated his 26th birthday in September, Pulisic is at the peak of his football career — among the elite in Serie A, the premier division in Italian soccer. However, as a public figure, he recognizes the complexities of fame. Success with his club and making history with the national team at the World Cup, now less than 18 months away, are significant goals, but Pulisic has a broader aspiration:
“I want to grow the sport in America. And everything that comes with it, I’m blessed. I’m extremely lucky. I wouldn’t want it any other way. But (fame) can be extremely hard for me. I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there that would probably feel the same way.”
Regardless, if the 2026 World Cup unfolds as the U.S. hopes, there may be even more fame heading his way.
(Top photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
