FIFA Men's World Cup

How Christian Pulisic Can Possibly Become USA's GOAT With 'Strong' World Cup

Updated Jun. 11, 2026 8:33 p.m. ET

Christian Pulisic might only be 27 years old, but he could be a few weeks away from becoming the all-time face of the U.S. men's national team. Well, that's what former USA star Maurice Edu thinks.

Ahead of the USA's opening match in the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, Edu proclaimed that Pulisic could be the greatest player in the federation's history with a strong performance in the tournament.

"You talk about legacy, you talk about cementing yourself as one of the greatest — as part of our [FOX] broadcast team, we've got Landon Donavan and Clint Dempsey, two guys we constantly debate about who is the GOAT for this sport in America — Christian with a strong tournament here, taking this team on a run, he puts himself into that conversation," Edu said on "World Cup Now."

Mo Edu's message to Christian Pulisic, USA heading into 2026 FIFA World Cup™: 'Prove yourselves right'

Pulisic has already set multiple federation records in his 10 years with the senior squad. He became the youngest USA player to score 10 international goals and the fastest USA player to contribute to 50 international goals. So, Pulisic is already arguably on a trajectory to become the best player in the federation's history.

However, after Pulisic recorded his 50th international goal contribution in November 2024, he went through a bit of a slump. He didn't score a goal for the USA in international play in seven matches before ending that skid in its friendly against Senegal on May 31. Pulisic also added an assist in that match, helping the USA get a 3-2 win.

That scoreless skid in international play also coincided with a 19-match scoreless skid for Pulisic with his club team, AC Milan. But as Pulisic struggled to get the ball in the net for much of the 2025-26 season, Edu thinks that the goal against Senegal might break the lid open for the USA star in the World Cup.

"He was going through a tough moment where, despite whatever he did, he was putting himself in the right positions," Edu said. "He's not shying away from getting on the ball. He's not shying away from trying to be the guy for the team. The ball just wouldn't find the back of the net. Well, he finally broke that drought. I think that was pivotal against Senegal for him to get on the scoresheet."

To Edu's point, Pulisic had a 0.45 expected goals per 90 minutes (xG) with AC Milan this season, which would've put him in the 97th percentile of all players in Serie A, per Footy Stats. That number is even better with the national team in 2026, holding a 0.48 xG per 90 minutes.

If Pulisic can turn those expected goals into actual goals, that'll be a good sign for the USA. The USA is 16-2-4 in matches that Pulisic scores, as his 33 international goals are the fifth-most in the federation's history.

Edu expects that Pulisic will add to that total in the World Cup, believing he can carry the nation on his shoulders and take the United States to the quarterfinals.

"How far we can go in this tournament will rely heavily on how far he can take us," Edu said. "He's our most talented player and probably has the highest ceiling."