Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Lille tonight marked a major historical moment for the USA in football/futbol/soccer. The Blues’ Christian Pulisic faced LOSC’s Timothy Weah, marking the first time that two Americans have played against each other in the UEFA Champions League.
Pulisic’s Chelsea defeated Zack Steffen’s Manchester City, in the UCL Final last season, but Steffen didn’t get on the pitch. Pulisic achieved Man of the Match today, scoring tonight to complement the goal who scored in the first leg of the quarterfinal.
A goal and a man of the match performance, @cpulisic_10 speaks after Chelsea qualify for the #UCL round of 16. ?? pic.twitter.com/D98F7r2Kc9
— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 16, 2022
Pulisic continued his trend of bringing it for the big games, achieving goal contributions in the knockout rounds, because that’s what he does. For his last goal, he celebrated by hitting the griddy. (Did I use that term correctly?)
Chelsea, for all that has gone wrong for the club lately, are moving on from the UCL sweet sixteen to the elite 8 now. Reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Pulisic and Chelsea are still the European champs until someone knocks them off their perch.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.