As the 2026 World Cup grows exceedingly close, a grim streak continues for U.S. national team forward Christian Pulisic, who has now reached 17 consecutive games without a goal for AC Milan.
The star is endearingly known as “Captain America” for his typical heroics as an American star across the pond in European soccer, which has included becoming the youngest American player to score 10 international goals (20 years, 189 days) and the first American man to play in a Champions League final (2020–21), which his Chelsea side won. He is now, however, in the worst drought of his entire career.
The 27-year-old last found the back of the net in 2025, a fall from top form that has recently demoted him to a bench role for the Serie A giants. The four-time winner of U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year hasn’t scored for the national team since November 2024, an even more worrisome timeline given the nation looks to him specifically to lead the USMNT in a glorious World Cup run next month.
The U.S., co-hosting the grand tournament with Canada and Mexico this summer, will face Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye in Group D action starting June 12—a favorable draw that could become exceedingly difficult without the dependence of their linchpin.
Former USMNT star and current sports analyst Stu Holden weighed in on Pulisic’s drought on Monday and explained what may be holding him back, separating the Stars and Stripes’ poster player from soccer’s greatest stars.
What Holds Christian Pulisic Back?
“On talent alone, Christian Pulisic is a top-40 player in the world,” Holden said on FOX Sports.
“What separates that level of player from the very, very best: the [Lionel] Messi’s, the [Cristiano] Ronaldo’s, the [Kylian] Mbappé’s is that they don’t suffer as much from the mental aspect of the game when they go through these big dips.
“Their dips are smaller, but they are still very elite ... That’s the difference for Pulisic. If he can get to that point where he just rolls through it, and you don’t see him being the best player in Serie A in the first six months and now it’s like you don’t know if he’s going to start this week.”
Pulisic has been plagued by inconsistency this season, which Holden attests to a lack of mental fortitude. The American forward dominated early on, scoring eight goals across the first four months of league play to ignite Milan’s eventual 18-game undefeated streak. He dropped off completely after December, though, and has since lost his starting position, coming off of the bench in two of his last five matches, including Sunday’s 2–0 loss to Sassuolo, a result that puts Milan’s Champions League spot in jeopardy.
Holden questioned: “It leaves me sitting here today as we’re talking, what version of Pulisic are we going to see this summer?”
With just three matches left this season for Milan, Pulisic is running out of time to right the ship. At the very least, he will hope for a resurgence in the USMNT’s final tune-up friendlies against Senegal and Germany at the end of the month to bring a glimmer of hope heading into the tournament.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ex-USMNT Star Reveals What Separates Christian Pulisic From the World’s Best Players.
