Back to the Top News Newsfeed

Pulisic Ready to Go Balls to the Wall—As Long As He’s Cleared for World Cup Last 16

Presuming Christian Pulisic is medically cleared, he’ll be out there for the U.S. vs. the Netherlands, looking to make his goal vs. Iran a footnote on an even grander story.

AL RAYYAN, Qatar—The comparisons have been there for years now, noting how one lithe but powerful, ultra-skilled and occasionally pensive or moody American soccer savior from the suburbs of central Pennsylvania reminds us of his predecessor from the suburbs in San Bernardino County, California.

Christian Pulisic is, and Landon Donovan was, the most consistently dangerous and dynamic attacker in a U.S. jersey. They have, and had, a knack for unlocking defenses off the dribble, making magic in tight spaces and arriving with speed at just the right spot in just the right moment.