Christian Pulisic says USMNT 'definitely should have qualified' for 2018 World Cup

Liz Roscher

The 2018 World Cup is thoroughly in everyone’s rearview these days, but Chelsea and USMNT star Christian Pulisic still thinks about how the USA should have qualified, even though they didn’t.
"I definitely feel that we had a good enough team and definitely should have qualified, so that was tough for me," Pulisic told ESPN in an exclusive interview.
Pulisic was the lone bright spot in the match that cost the USMNT their last chance to qualify. They lost to Trinidad & Tobago on the final World Cup qualifying day in 2017, with Pulisic scoring the only goal in the 2-1 loss. It was the first time the US had failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1986, and the loss put a disastrous capper on a campaign that saw the USMNT fail to capitalize on earlier chances to qualify.


Christian Pulisic still thinks about what the USMNT could have done if they'd qualified for the 2018 World Cup. (Photo by Visionhaus)

Pulisic still thinks about what kind of damage that team could have done in the World Cup.
"I think we had quality to [make a deep run]," Pulisic said to ESPN. "I don't see any reason why we couldn't have. Once you get to those knockout stages, I think anything's possible, I think anything could happen."
Former USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann agrees with Pulisic, telling ESPN that "The team belonged [in] Russia. They belonged in the World Cup.”
Klinsmann was fired in November 2016 after losses to Mexico and Costa Rica in the World Cup qualification round, but believes that the team would have made it to the final rounds if he’d stayed in charge.