Christian Pulisic named his dream U.S. men’s national team five-a-side team and did not include Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan or Tim Howard, instead opting for “more recent” American stars.
The AC Milan winger had a mild-mannered back-and-forth with the USMNT legends over the years until this summer, when he came under extreme fire for skipping the Gold Cup. Pulisic’s commitment to the Stars and Stripes was questioned, prompting swift and spiky responses from the 27-year-old and his father.
Months after the exchange of words, Pulisic was asked to put together his ultimate USMNT five-a-side team by Kate Scott in an exclusive interview with Paramount+.
The USMNT captain rattled off Brad Guzan in goal, followed by Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, himself and Oguchi Onyewu.
Pulisic noticeably left off Dempsey, Donovan and Howard, who are widely considered the three best players in USMNT history. The forward, though, did preface his picks by stating, “I’m just going to go more recent, because they’re my guys.”
Still, Scott mentioned the glaring snubs, to which Pulisic replied, “I had to do it on the spot. There’s a lot of good names out there.”
Ultimate USMNT Five-a-Side Team—According to Pulisic
- Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan
- Midfield: Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams
- Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Oguchi Onyewu
Pulisic Hypes Up USMNT Talent Ahead of 2026 World Cup
Not only did Pulisic recognize McKennie and Adams in his five-a-side team, but he also addressed the current USMNT as a whole, highlighting the widespread talent representing the Stars and Stripes.
“Earlier on in my career, going into the national team, I kind of had this [weight] of, ‘Oh, this new kid is playing in Europe and now he’s on the national team and—at least this is what I thought in my head, which looking back is stupid—I’m expected to score goals. I have to win games for the team,’” Pulisic said.
“But now I’ve gotten to a place, especially now with the other top players who are playing around the world on huge teams... I’m not the only one who’s going to be able to make a difference in games now with this national team, so I’m really grateful for that.”
Indeed, the Stars and Stripes have a wealth of talent playing in Europe’s top five leagues. From Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson to Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah, Mauricio Pochettino has the talent he needs to make a statement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, unfolding largely on home soil for the first time since 1994.
READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, REACTION AND ANALYSIS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Christian Pulisic Snubs Dempsey, Howard, Donovan in Ultimate USMNT Side.
