The United States Men’s National Team may finally have a new world class manager in former Tottenham Hotspur and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino, but the team’s issues largely remain the same. Last week, they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League by Panama after an insipid performance.
Following the USMNT’s latest disappointing loss, there has naturally been tons of analysis on what’s going wrong with the team, with many — both fans and the media — believing that the team is severely lacking proper leadership, particularly when it comes to the players on the pitch.
Given his longtime status as the best player on the team, many USMNT fans have wanted Christian Pulisic to take up the mantle of the USMNT’s leader, especially with the 2026 World Cup just a little over a year away.
According to soccer legend Thierry Henry, however, Pulisic simply does not have the tools to be that sort of leader — vocal, emotional, passionate, etc.
“The coach is trying to find out who is the captain, but I need to say something. I do think that Christian Pulisic is a good player, a very good one. He is playing week in, week out and delivering in a good team in Europe,” Henry began, speaking on Pulisic’s recent form for AC Milan.
“You also have to stop that narrative that he is not that type of leader. Stop that, don’t force him to be that. He is a technical leader, but is he the enforcer? Gattuso was not Pirlo you know, and vice versa. That does not mean he is not the best player in this team,” he continued, using two Italian AC Milan legends in his metaphor.
“Is he the type of guy that will be vocal? No, he’s not that guy. He is very good at a lot of things, but he doesn’t have that type of leadership. But, that is ok, stop making him something that he’s not. Concentrate on what he does, he’s very good and playing in the best position for him. We have to stop the narrative that he will be Clint Dempsey. He’s not. He’s not going to be that guy. He said it himself that he struggles in that role. Right now, stop looking for something that he is not yet.”
“Stop making him something that he’s not.”
Thierry Henry calls for a reality check on the expectations placed on Christian Pulisic’s style of leadership
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— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 23, 2025
Henry is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport — side bar: shout out Clint Dempsey, who Henry routinely praises, that must be so sick for him — so his assessment obviously carries some serious weight. That said, his analysis does have some holes.
First, comparing Pulisic on AC Milan to Pulisic on the USMNT is apples to oranges. On Milan, he’s one of many world class players, most of whom are not only national team players, but play on better national teams than Pulisic does. On the USMNT, Pulisic is *the guy* — giving him a pass on being the “vocal leader” would be like not expecting Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or LeBron James to be the leaders of the Olympic basketball teams.
Second, Pulisic is no longer a green kid coming into his own. He’s 26-years-old and an established veteran, especially within the context of the USMNT, whose senior squad he’s now been the focal point of for close to a decade (he’s also played club football in three of the world’s top four leagues). To suggest that he’s not *yet* a vocal leader implies that he could someday become this one. However, if he hasn’t by now, with the amount of responsibility he’s shouldered for the USMNT in recent years, he most likely never will.
Given that North America is hosting the 2026 World Cup, the United States (along with Mexico and Canada) automatically qualify for the tournament. If the USMNT hope to deliver a performance worthy of the opportunity, however, they’ve got a long way to go.
The post Soccer Legend Thierry Henry Shares Damning Assessment Of Christian Pulisic’s Ability To Lead USMNT: ‘He’s Not That Guy appeared first on BroBible.