Christian Pulisic's health has frequently been on the mind of those who follow the United States men's national team. His muscle pulls have usually been enough to make U.S. fans apoplectic, but back on Aug. 20, he had a different kind of malady: a positive test for COVID-19. It was a shocker given that Pulisic had been able to stay relatively healthy in recent months, leading the U.S. to a triumph in the CONCACAF Nations League over Mexico back in June, as well as getting off to a bright start to the club season with Chelsea, including a goal in the 3-0 win against Crystal Palace to start the league season.
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So Pulisic was forced back to the sidelines, and the positive test cast some doubt on his participation in the start of World Cup qualifying. It wasn't just the virus he had to contend with, but his overall fitness as well. But last Monday, there was Pulisic, taking part in the opening USMNT training session at Nashville's Lipscomb University. Talking to ESPN late last week as part of a promotional effort for Panini America given his continued relationship -- "My brother is the big collector," he noted --- Pulisic insisted he was feeling no ill effects.
"I feel great. Luckily, I've had basically no symptoms through it all," he said via Zoom. "It's kind of crazy and surprising that I got the positive test, but I've been sent programs and stuff, and I've been able to do a bit of working out from home, which has been good. So I've been doing that almost throughout the whole time. Obviously, I'm not fully fit, just missing training and games, but I definitely feel that I'm in a really good spot."
When asked if he feels he can contribute to the three upcoming World Cup qualifiers, he said, "Absolutely."
The positive test notwithstanding, Pulisic seems to be more settled than in any recent start to the club season. Two years ago, there were doubts about how he would adjust to the Premier League. Last year, he was still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in the 2020 FA Cup final. Not so this season.
While the sight of him playing wing-back in preseason was jarring, he said he expects to play as part of the attacking trident that manager Thomas Tuchel often employs. He knows what to expect from his manager, his teammates and himself.
"I made an impact in the first two games I was able to play, and then I was feeling good, feeling confident, and ready for the start of the season," Pulisic said. "Obviously, this is just a minor setback, tough timing. But I'll be back right where I left off. And I think I'm in a good place, and the team is in a very good place. I'm happy with where I stand at the moment."
One big addition for Chelsea has been that of forward Romelu Lukaku. Now the Blues have the kind of dominant No. 9 who can not only score goals, but can pull defenses apart. It's an addition for which Pulisic is grateful, but with Timo Werner now likely to drop deeper when he plays, it creates an even bigger logjam for attacking places, with Werner, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz all contending for playing time as well. Yet it's a challenge that Pulisic feels he's up for.
"There's been competition ever since I've been here," Pulisic said. "I think there's a lot of top attacking players. It's good. I think that's why our team is so strong as well. We have so much depth with so many players that can go and do a great job, so it's just about performing when you get the opportunity. That's really all you can do."
There don't figure to be as many obstacles when it comes to suiting up for the U.S., however. Pulisic remains the driving force of the team's attack and with emergence of players like Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson, the available talent can help share more of the attacking load.
Yet Pulisic is also one of the few players on the team who had a front row seat to the previous cycle's World Cup qualifying failure. Much has been made about how the U.S. didn't maximize points at home, but their road trips was no kinder. The only away win the previous cycle was a 6-0 triumph against lowly St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Pulisic insists there is a bit more steel about the team now, even if most of the players have yet to experience World Cup qualifying first-hand.
"The guys know. I've told them, especially with some of these away games in CONCACAF, there can be a lot of different challenges that come along," he said. "But there's just no room for excuses, and I think this team, we go out and fight and outwork our opponents, especially in these games. Sometimes it's going to be a battle and you might not win every game 3-0, 4-0. You've got to go out and you've got to fight; 1-0, it's all the same. It's going to be a battle."
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It certainly helps that the U.S. is coming off a pair of tournament victories in the Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Practically speaking, the victories won't matter once the qualifying games start, but having the team in a positive frame of mind should have the U.S. operating from a position where the self-belief is strong.
"I'd say there's definitely a lot of confidence in the team. I mean, obviously, [we had] two wins and finals against Mexico, a great summer winning trophies. I'm hoping that that's going to carry over and just going to bring that momentum into its these games. I think we're just in a really good place."
That goes for Pulisic's state of mind as well. The subject of mental health has been at the forefront of sport this summer, especially given the challenges posed to the likes of tennis star Naomi Osaka and gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles. Pulisic has been more open about his own mental struggles, and remains hopeful that the topic is one that can be discussed more freely.
"Just getting things off your off your chest sometimes just makes you feel better," he said. "So I think we're in a place where it's hopefully easier for people to talk about the issues and things to deal with.
"[Speaking with someone] definitely helped me a lot. I had some tough times as well. So just to speak with people that I care about, and even specialists, just to get their opinion on things and just to share how I felt, can take a big weight off."
The pressure will certainly be ratcheted up come Thursday when the U.S. opens World Cup qualifying on the road against El Salvador. It's still to be determined how much Pulisic will be used, but regardless of the minutes he logs, he and his teammates are ready.