Have the USMNT moved on from their Pulisic dependency?
The Guardian's Leander Schaerlaeckens examines how the USMNT have performed in Christian Pulisic's absence and whether the team has begun to move past the so-called 'savior complex' that long defined their relationship with their most famous player. With Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, a younger generation of American players has begun to deliver results, raising questions about Pulisic's long-term centrality to the project. The piece frames the conversation around tactical evolution, squad depth, and the psychological shift from depending on one star to trusting a collective.
Read the full story at theguardian.comThis is a thought-provoking reset of the narrative around the USMNT. For years, American soccer discourse revolved around whether Pulisic alone could carry the national team to new heights. Pochettino's appointment appears to have shifted that frame, introducing a more layered, system-driven identity in which a deeper pool of young talent can absorb the loss of a talisman without crumbling. The broader signal is structural: the USMNT is beginning to behave less like a side that needs a hero and more like one that has genuine options, a meaningful change for the program's competitive ceiling heading into the next major cycle.
Context added by Socc360, not by theguardian.com.
Data source: theguardian.com (via Socc360). Last updated .
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