Yahoo Sports contributors Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros discuss the best way to play to Christian Pulisic's strengths on the USMNT. Hear the full conversation on the “The Cooligans” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

View more

Video Transcript

Christian Pulisic can't stop scoring, can't stop being an absolute star in Serie A but the US MNT friendlies are coming up.

Pochettino's getting his first opportunity to coach this American starlet.

Uh huh.

Now we got to talk about how is Pochettino because we know who is, who the best player on the team is.

How is he going to build this team around Christian Pulisic?

I mean, this is a problem that Bealer had too, you know, like how do you build it in a way where you get the most out of Christian pistic but also get the most out of every other player?

I don't think that's that easy, right?

Because you could play Christian Bick across essentially three positions.

You can play him on the left winger where he played at Dortmund and he played at Chelsea.

You can play him uh essentially which I know they tried at the beginning of the season for Serie A seems like he's most effective on the right hand side for them.

So can you put him in place of like, say a Tim Wayo who typically plays up there for the men's national team, whatever the case may be, is you need to have a center.

I think you need to have a center that can play almost as a center forward or is just good at link one twos.

You know what I mean?

Doesn't necessarily have to have his back to go like a Giro.

Although he played really well with a player like Giro, you need someone that can sort of play along with him, passing him into spaces one twos with him.

Linkups.

And I think that means ban.

So if you're gonna have Ballan being uh you know your center forward, right?

But a player like him, right?

Maybe Brandon Vasquez could be a little bit more of back to goal, maybe uh Josh Sargeant maybe could do that with him with the one twos.

Uh I think Ballan is probably everyone healthy.

They probably the guy you start there in that place.

Then how do you, how do you free him up to do more?

You need someone like a Virginio Des it was also injured.

Uh So it's a difficult proposition, right?

Because you want, you want someone who is good enough to go forward, create space for Christian ballistic, create the opportunity for Christian ballistic to be a bit more advanced, a bit more of a goal threat but can also track back and defend.

Ok. Um So this is my thought as far as what the US MNT looks like around, around Pulisic, I mean, we know the look right now in Seria, he is arguably, you know, we've had this conversation on the Kolli plenty of times.

Like, is he Serie A's best player right now?

He's certainly the most informed player.

You can't.

And there's clearly some, a player scoring more goals, but there's just something to, he is arguably the best player on his own team.

Maybe not in Serie A but like as far as the best player on their own team, uh it's, it's wild to see just because we're not used to seeing it, an American player being so dominant uh just in any foreign league, right?

Um But what, what needs I think to happen around P is, you know, you're mentioning this linkup play but the US is not really like a link up team even on no, but we did it under Beach of Callahan Nations.

I mean, it's, it's, this is what I kind of envision.

I just like, I think of the goal that Tyler Adams scored against Mexico right from outside the box, just a banger and stuff like that.

And I think Christian Pulisic for the team to be stronger, there needs to be more space created by midfielders that are a threat to score.

So when Tyler Adams is a threat and the defensive mid on the opposing team or a center has to be like, oh, they might take a crack from out here like that's what I would love if you Musa was a, more of a dangerous a scoring threat.

Can you even play Yun Musa who's not even getting on the pitch?

That's the frustrating part where I think his confidence, as far as Unus Musa, his confidence is eroding a little bit when he plays on the national team because he is not, he, he's clearly not getting the minutes.

But if we just had that more space just even if it a yard or two for p because there are because I like where your head's at.

Go for it.

Maybe the, maybe the threat doesn't come from throwing jabs like at Tyler and taking some shots from far away thinking we gotta check up because there's also a, there's also a chance that the other manager says, like let him take shots from out there.

They're really low probabilities don't even check up, stay down.

They're doing that because they're scared you can't get in the box.

What if it's the other thing?

What if the person who has the ball centrally just rotating and roaming around the top of the box is such a threat with fancy footwork and potential passes that you have to get close, you have to get tight.

So it's not because of shots because how good they are on the ball.

And that guy's name is Gio Rena.

Yes, another injured play.

So we're basically saying if we could just heal Wolverines, Wolverine just Logan type superpowers to heal from your own injury.

But even if he wasn't injured, he's also not getting real minutes with do so at some point, as much as I'm with all the former national team players who have said it and all the people are like, you gotta play people who are in form.

We need players that are in form and getting real minutes with their club.

Even if you do that, you will be, there will be opportunities for players who aren't getting real minutes at their clubs to be influential.

Now, it doesn't mean that, that you put them in automatically, but if there was a way, there's a real question for, for Pochettino, do I play someone like a real Gio Rena who has an insane amount of talent but can't see me get on the pitch.

So I look it's a bigger problem than just like, you know, it'd be nice if just everyone was healthy and we could just kind of pick the best players, but we have to kind of mix and match for any given window to see what works.

I, I just, I can't wait for the moment and it's disappointing that in this window, um you know, a ban is not there, we're not, we're not going to really see kind of the best available players and for pino to work with and it just feels like I hope it's not 23 windows before we see like the, the the strongest team being in such good form for three goals in three matches if I'm not mistaken but, and he hurt himself celebrating a goal.

I mean, what, you know what luck that we have.

So I don't think we answer the question specifically, but I think the only way really is to make sure that Christian bliss of being your best player is surrounded by the talent that makes him shine and puts him in the best position and gives him the most space.

However, that is, hey, we didn't get paid by us, soccer to figure that part out.

No more injuries, guys.

I mean, I think that's why, what the, that's been the issue that they haven't been told to stop getting injured.

So instead of bunch, we should have hired a physio.

OK.

Heal up, gentlemen.

All right.

Uh So all this chicken soup.

Shout out to everybody watching on one football.

Go subscribe to the Kigin here on youtube as well if you want some hilarious footy takes because we got a lot of that to offer.

Close