Chelsea and United States star Christian Pulisic is known for being soft-spoken and taciturn with the media. He’s sort of like the anti-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an egomaniacal Swede whose sound bites are bombastic and over-the-top in self-congratulation.
Pulisic, on the other hand, keeps it brief and low key during media opps, but he did open up somewhat during his time in the media mixed zone ahead of tomorrow night’s international friendly against Mexico at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“I’ll never be comfortable. I don’t like being in front of cameras,” the 20-year-old said. “I’m still getting used to it, I guess.”
The Hershey, Pennsylvania native, who was a Manchester United supporter as a child, typically lets his game do the talking. However, he did say that he’s open to playing for the Stars and Stripes in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympiad.
He also discussed the beginning of his stint with Chelsea, which sees the team currently 11th in the table, with a record of 1-2-1 after four Premier League games under new manager Frank Lampard.
“It’s amazing. I mean, it’s everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s incredible,” Pulisic said of his move to Stamford Bridge thus far.
“It worked out really well, for sure. Frank’s a great guy and he’s helped me so much and he understands where I’m coming from and he’s done a really good job and helped me, teaching us, especially a lot of the younger guys on the team.”
Pulisic, who has started three games for Chelsea and chipped in two assists, has had a very up and down beginning with the Blues, as he’s been deployed primarily on the flanks. He has seen his role shift back and forth between forward and midfield, for both club and country.
“Learning to help more on the defensive side of things, which is like a good challenge for me, as well,” he said when the topic turned to what his role is within the team.
After the grudge match with Mexico on Friday night, the USMNT will stage another international friendly, at Busch Stadium against Uruguay, on Tuesday night.
One the boring international break is over, Pulisic and his Chelsea teammates will travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers a week after Saturday.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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