{"id":909650,"date":"2026-06-01T11:14:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/christian-pulisic-shines-as-us-kick-off-world-cup-preparations-with-3-2-win-over-senegal\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T11:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:14:59","slug":"christian-pulisic-shines-as-us-kick-off-world-cup-preparations-with-3-2-win-over-senegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/01\/christian-pulisic-shines-as-us-kick-off-world-cup-preparations-with-3-2-win-over-senegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Pulisic shines as US kick off World Cup preparations with 3-2 win over Senegal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

\n

The dry spell is over.<\/p>\n

Christian Pulisic broke a nearly six-month period without a goal on Sunday, assisting on the US opener and scoring a lovely goal himself not long afterward to lead the US to a 3-2 victory against Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Playing in front of 57,741 in the first of two send-off matches ahead of this summer\u2019s World Cup<\/a>, the US looked lively throughout the match, a far cry from the dour pair of performances they put in against Portugal and Belgium in March. And the sterling performance from Pulisic, perhaps their most important attacking player, offers plenty of reasons for optimism for a program that had few of those after the two-loss March international window.<\/p>\n

The encouraging effort did leave lingering questions, though, about the US\u2019s ability to defend and manage games. Senegal\u2019s Sadio Man\u00e9 scored just before and after half-time, with both goals coming off of US defensive breakdowns, continuing a troubling trend for the Americans.<\/p>\n

<\/gu-island><\/figure>\n

In other cycles, send-off matches have served largely as a celebratory tour for the team, an opportunity to make tiny adjustments and build confidence. The buildup to this World Cup has felt different, as US head coach Mauricio Pochettino has faced a bevy of questions ahead of an all-important tournament on home soil.<\/p>\n

Pulisic\u2019s poor form aside, Pochettino has yet to name a starting goalkeeper and neither Matt Turner, who started on Sunday, nor NYC FC\u2019s Matt Freese has emerged as a clear frontrunner. Questions have lingered, as well, about the US\u2019s mentality, and about the exclusion of a handful of players from Pochettino\u2019s 26-man roster.<\/p>\n

Pochettino\u2019s lineup on Sunday was a mix of locked-on starters and reserves. Midfielder Gio Reyna made his first start for club or country since November 2025, when the US beat Paraguay in a friendly. Turner, fresh off a run of excellent club form with the New England Revolution, got the nod in goal. Pochettino also started Pulisic, perhaps seeking to give the Milan midfielder another chance to break his dry spell.<\/p>\n

Pulisic did so 19 minutes into a match that already felt firmly in the US\u2019s grasp. PSV forward Ricardo Pepi, who was excellent throughout his 45-minute stint, found Pulisic with a through ball 20 yards from goal. A deft first touch towards the far side of the box took Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw out of the play and Pulisic\u2019s right-footed, angled finish put the US ahead 2-0.<\/p>\n

Pulisic was involved in the US opener, as well, which was among the nicer team goals they\u2019ve scored in quite some time, a 10-pass sequence capped off by PSV wing-back Sergi\u00f1o Dest. US captain Tim Ream found Fulham\u2019s Antonee Robinson at the near sideline. Robinson found Pepi further upfield, who slyly found Pulisic running towards goal. Pulisic\u2019s pinpoint cross across the face of goal was touched home by Dest.<\/p>\n

The assist was Pulisic\u2019s first international goal contribution since September 2025, when he notched an assist in the US\u2019s 2-0 friendly victory over Japan.<\/p>\n

\n
\n