The stakes are high for the American and his team, which means he can’t look too far ahead to the World CupAhead of the most recent set of U.S. men’s national team friendlies, Mauricio Pochettino said the World Cup was starting in March. Meaningful games had arrived, and the stakes were rising for every player in the pool. For Christian Pulisic, though, that idea hits differently. He doesn’t have to wait until summer for career-defining games. He’s playing them right now.No, this isn’t another story about Pulisic’s goal drought; it’s a story about stakes. Before joining up with the USMNT later this month, Pulisic and AC Milan have two more matches on their Serie A schedule. Those matches could shape everything: Milan’s season, their European future, the Massimiliano Allegri era and, perhaps, Pulisic’s own future. While the World Cup may not officially be underway, the World Cup-level pressures are there for Pulisic and Milan. That’s always expected at a club of that magnitude, but as that club stares down the possibility of throwing away what once seemed like a rebirth of a season, those pressures are only becoming greater. It’s all on the line for Pulisic over these next few weeks, and it begins long before he puts on that USMNT jersey.
