Nine American women have previously featured in the UEFA Champions League final.By Ryan 'Reav3' Mireles A Jungler and a Solo Laner national teamer Jovan Kirovski, who earned it playing in the group stage for Borussia Dortmund back in 1997. There was only one American male player who won a UEFA Champions League medal before Pulisic, and that was former U.S. He’ll be a major contributor if the USMNT are to advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup next year in Qatar.Īn American was always guaranteed to win Saturday's Champions League final with Pulisic facing off against Manchester City backup goalkeeper Zack Steffen, his teammate on the U.S. men’s soccer star today and has accumulated 36 appearances and 15 goals for the U.S. soccer pioneers on why Pulisic appearing in the final is a big deal player ever, after Chelsea forked over $73 million to sign him from German club Borussia Dortmund in 2019. Pulisic is on his way to becoming the best male American player in the history of the game. It's a sign of the quality of player development in the United States that an American can compete on the biggest stage. national team player had ever appeared in the UEFA Champions League final. Pulisic's appearance in the game was a big deal. (Getty Images) Why it matters for Pulisic to play Champions League final You don't get that many players like that." And in the second leg he comes on as a substitute and he's got that incredible intelligence to adapt to the role. “In the two games against Real Madrid, in the first leg he starts and makes a difference. "Christian Pulisic is one of the very few players that can be really strong as a starter or as a substitute,” Martinez said in a conference call prior to the Champions League final. With Chelsea taking a lead in the game, Tuchel brought him on for the final 20 minutes against tiring defenders and a Manchester City team pushing for an equalizing goal. That Pulisic can impact a match off the bench is a facet of his game that has caught the eye of observers, including Belgian national team manager Roberto Martinez: Pulisic is strong at beating defenders 1-on-1 and exposing gaps in opposing defenses. Pulisic as a spark off the benchĪs Tuchel himself mentioned in the pregame, he believes Pulisic can change the game with his pace and skill off the bench. While Pulisic has had to overcome niggling injuries along the way - and that could have been a good reason for Tuchel to manage his minutes in past games - it obviously was not a factor in the final game of the club season before the summer break. It was Mount who fed Havertz for the only goal of the final in the 42nd minute. Havertz got the nod to partner German compatriot Timo Werner and Mason Mount in the attack. Ziyech and Pulisic were the odd ones out for the final and it turned out to be the right decision for Tuchel. Yeah, Christian Pulisic should probably start in the #UCLFinal. But when it comes to the UEFA Champions League, Pulisic has shown he’s a big-game player. The Chelsea manager has rotated the likes of German attacker Kai Havertz ($82 million transfer fee), Moroccan star Hakim Ziyech ($43 million transfer fee), academy product Mason Mount and Pulisic ($73 million transfer fee) in the attacking positions alongside center forward Timo Werner. All of them bring different qualities to the game, giving Tuchel several tactical options, depending on the challenges a game might present. MORE: The case for Pulisic to start the Champions League finalĪs one of the most expensive, star-studded squads in the world, Chelsea clearly have plenty of attacking talents on its roster.
He started the first match in that series and came off the bench for the second. star was a big reason Chelsea reached the final, contributing a goal and an assist in the two-leg semifinal series against Real Madrid. With that behind me, nothing can stop me, really." But, as always I just reach out to God, and he gives me strength. I've had to continue to prove myself, over and over again.
I wanted to play from the beginning, as I always do. After the second leg of the Champions League semifinal series against Real Madrid, a match in which he came off the bench, Pulisic did not hide his discontent. He came off the bench in the other 13, including Saturday's final.īut Pulisic hasn’t been entirely happy with the situation. In 26 competitive matches, Tuchel, who knows Pulisic well from their days together at German club Borussia Dortmund, has opted to start Pulisic in 13 of them. Pulisic has been in and out of the starting lineup under Tuchel since the German manager took over from Frank Lampard in late January.
I hope we start strong and we finish stronger." Why did Pulisic not start the Champions League final? “I have to choose from 23 a starting XI, but we need 15 or 16 to finish this game, hopefully in a positive way. “Tough choice to leave him out, but very strong from the bench,” Tuchel said.