Christian Pulisic ‘excited’ to join USMNT, acknowledges uncertain future with Chelsea

As is so often the case, Christian Pulisic is thrilled to be back at a U.S. men’s national team camp, surrounded by teammates and friends in an environment where he thrives.

But as he sat down for Monday’s news conference in suburban Los Angeles, he knew the questions wouldn’t just be about the Americans’ preparations for this month’s Concacaf Nations League final four. Several revolved around his club future, which is as uncertain as it’s been in a while.

Pulisic is heading into the last year of his contract at Premier League power Chelsea. He’s widely expected to leave the club amid an overhaul under new American owner Todd Boehly and new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Not only will Pochettino bring a new playbook, but the Blues’ roster is overloaded and needs clearing out. At 33 players, the squad is so big that the team reportedly had to expand its locker room to fit them all in.

» READ MORE: Folarin Balogun, Medford’s Brenden Aaronson highlight USMNT roster for Nations League

There’s been speculation for months about potential destinations, from the Premier League’s Newcastle United to Italian powers Juventus and AC Milan. And there’s surely lots more speculation to come.

For now, though, it sounds like Pulisic doesn’t know yet what his future holds.

“It’s obviously been an interesting journey at club level for me,” he said. “I thought it was a great couple of years, and the last couple years just haven’t gone at all how I’ve planned them to be. … This summer, we’re obviously going to have to see what happens — it’s obviously very early. As of right now, I’m a Chelsea player and I plan to go back, but a lot of things can happen, a lot of things can change.”

It might be a bit before he makes his decision. After the Nations League games — June 15 vs. archrival Mexico and then the final or third-place game June 18 — Pulisic will take some well-earned time to rest. Not only did he have a long season with Chelsea, but he had an autumn World Cup in the middle of it. He and many of his U.S. teammates, and many other players around the world, are understandably exhausted.

“It’s really in the back of my head — I’m not even thinking about, right now, where do I want to be next season,” said Pulisic, 24. “Right now, I’m focused on the national team. I want to be here, I want to win games, that’s my sole focus right now. … I need to also rest after this, get away from the game a bit, and enjoy my break, see my family, all those kinds of good things. And then once it’s time to make decisions and see what options I have, then I’ll deal with it then.”

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The Hershey native did not hide from how difficult it’s been for him at Chelsea lately. He played just 1,012 minutes over 30 games this season, and while a knee injury from January to early March didn’t help, he started just two of the Blues’ 13 Premier League games after coming back.

“It’s been a really tough season for me personally, and for our team, of course, at a club level,” Pulisic said of Chelsea’s poor 12th-place finish. “So for me, it’s just about coming in here and having a fresh start, and being able to be a part of a team that hopefully can come out and win some games. I’m really excited to be here and just to get some minutes on the field, and just get back to being that confident player that I know I can be, and just find my footing again — and just enjoy the game, because it feels like it’s been tough to do that lately.”

And as the rumors swirl, Pulisic will try his best to ignore them.

“I don’t keep any social media on my phone anymore, so I probably don’t see as much as you guys think I do,” he said. “People will text me sometimes and be like, ‘You’re going here?’ And I’ll be like, ‘I didn’t know that.’ So they know more than me a lot of the time.”

With the national team, Pulisic and his teammates will play under a second straight interim manager in B.J. Callaghan. The Ventnor native, a U.S. assistant since 2019, stepped up when predecessor Anthony Hudson left last month for a new club job in the Middle East. Once it became clear Hudson would not get the full-time U.S. job, it was no surprise that he left for a longer-term — and likely better-paying — role elsewhere.

» READ MORE: Ex-Union assistant B.J. Callaghan to serve as interim USMNT coach this summer

“It’s all come as a bit of a surprise for us, I think, with some of the changes, just as much as it is for you,” Pulisic said. “We’ve spoken and given our input as much as we can — it’s not our job as players to appoint a manager, or whatever the deal is. We’re just here to come out and perform as best we can, no matter who the coach is, and we’re excited to be here and represent the crest.”

He notably said he’d be happy if Gregg Berhalter was restored to the job. Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022, and Hudson was brought in amid the scandal between Berhalter and the Reyna family.

“I think he is still considered; I think he should be considered,” Pulisic said. “I think he did a great job with the team. He brought us a long way. I think a lot of people, and a lot of guys in the team especially, would agree with that.”

Until the new full-time manager is in, Pulisic will do his best to stay focused on the present, both with his game and his mental health.

“I’m good, man,” he said, simple but too-rare words from the U.S. men’s team’s biggest star. “My family is healthy, I’m blessed. … I’m doing great, and I’m excited to play with these guys this week.”

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Callaghan brought Union goalkeeper coach Phil Wheddon in to do the same job for the U.S. team during the Nations League stretch.

Wheddon has worked for U.S. squads quite a bit in the past: with the men’s team from 2005-07, the women’s team from 2002-04 and ‘07-09, and U.S. youth squads many times since 2000.

There won’t be much impact on the Union, since they play Saturday at San Jose and then don’t play again until June 21. And since the Union will be in California, Wheddon might go to the game if time allows.