Pulisic says USMNT aiming to ‘change the way the world sees American soccer’ in Qatar

Wants USMNT to be considered as serious contendersBelieves they have the resources to succeedAlso backs Graham Potter to succeed at Chelsea

WHAT HAPPENED? The USMNT skipper has challenged his team-mates to make a big impact at the World Cup so that other nations start considering America as an elite force in football. They failed to qualify for the previous edition of the tournament in Russia and the Chelsea forward now wants to make amends by being successful in Qatar.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Maybe it hasn’t been the top sport back in the States and we want to change the way that the world sees American soccer – it’s one of our goals,” Pulisic told The Guardian. ”We haven’t been at the level of some of these world powerhouses in recent decades, but we’ve had good teams with a lot of heart. We can take it to the next step – a successful World Cup would change a lot.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pulisic also discussed his current season at Chelsea, who had a bright start under Graham Potter but suffered a dip in form before the break, losing three successive matches in the Premier League. The new boss is already under pressure, but Pulisic has backed him to turn the Blues’ fortunes around. “He’s been good. He’s come in and the way he’s worked with the players and communicated with the players has impressed me the most,” he said. ”We had a great start with him. We’ve had some difficulties in recent weeks but I think he’s working through it and I think the guys have received him quite well. We’re excited. There’s going to be good things going forward.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? Pulisic has struggled for regular minutes under Potter and has made just three Premier League starts in total for Chelsea this season.

WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC? The forward will be in action against Wales in the USMNT’s World Cup opener on November 21 at the Al Rayyan Stadium.