Christian Pulisic will once again lead the United States men’s national team into a FIFA World Cup, but former U.S. goalkeeper Tony Meola believes the AC Milan star must rediscover his best form if the Americans are to make a deep run on home soil.
The USMNT officially unveiled its 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday at Pier 17 in Manhattan, with Pulisic headlining Mauricio Pochettino’s roster alongside Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Tim Weah. The tournament will mark Pulisic’s second World Cup appearance after helping lead the United States in Qatar in 2022.
Attention surrounding the 26-year-old has increased following a difficult end to the season with AC Milan. Pulisic ended the Serie A campaign on a 20-game goal drought, although he remains one of the team’s most important attacking players entering the World Cup.
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola addressed Pulisic’s current form during an appearance on SportsCenter while discussing the pressure of playing a World Cup in the United States.
Tony Meola Questions Christian Pulisic’s Form Before FIFA World Cup
GettyChristian Pulisic of the United States
Meola said he recently spoke with Pulisic while the winger was enjoying stronger form earlier in the season with AC Milan.
“When I did talk to him, he was on a roll,” Meola said on SportsCenter. “We were talking about him being the MVP maybe of Serie A. I’m a Milan fan, so I watch him week in and week out.”
—@TMeola1 on his recent conversation with Pulisic ⬇️
Meola acknowledged Pulisic’s importance to the national team and pointed to his history of delivering in major moments for the United States.
“He’s always done it for the national team,” Meola said. “He’s always come up with big moments when they needed them.”
However, the former U.S. goalkeeper also noted that Pulisic’s production declined during the second half of the season at Milan. Meola referenced comments from manager Massimiliano Allegri regarding Pulisic’s changing role in the squad.
“It hasn’t been great with Milan over the last couple months,” Meola said. “I think a lot of it is due to the position that he was asked to play. Even his manager, Max Allegri, said, look, he’s out of position right now, but this is what we need at our club.”
Meola added that the United States needs Pulisic to perform at a high level if the team hopes to succeed at the World Cup.
“Our hope is that Christian Pulisic in this World Cup becomes the superstar that we all thought he would be when 2026 rolled around,” Meola said. “We need Christian Pulisic to be good if this team’s going to have success, in my opinion, in this World Cup.”
Mauricio Pochettino Finalizes USMNT World Cup Squad
GettyUS Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) head coach Argentine Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino’s final roster announcement also generated attention because of several notable omissions.
Midfielders Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann were left out despite both featuring prominently under Pochettino during recent international windows. Tessmann recently suffered a muscle strain while playing for Lyon, while Luna had become a fan favorite because of his performances with Real Salt Lake and the national team.
Yunus Musah, Josh Sargent, Aidan Morris, and Zavier Gozo were also omitted from the final squad.
The U.S. roster includes a core of experienced players from the 2022 World Cup, including Adams, McKennie, Tim Ream and Matt Turner. Several players, including Malik Tillman, Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun, are set to make their World Cup debuts.
Pochettino selected only four central midfielders: Adams, McKennie, Sebastian Berhalter and Cristian Roldan, placing additional responsibility on Adams as the primary defensive midfielder.
Meanwhile, the attacking group will rely heavily on Pulisic alongside Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Tim Weah and Alex Zendejas.
The United States will open Group D play against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Americans will then face Australia on June 19 in Seattle before concluding the group stage against Turkiye on June 25 in Los Angeles.
Pulisic enters the tournament as the face of U.S. soccer and one of the team’s most experienced players, with expectations rising as the World Cup returns to North America for the first time since 1994.
Christian Pulisic Gets Called Out by Tony Meola Ahead of 2026 World Cup