Tim Howard Addresses Christian Pulisic's Concerning Trend Before World Cup
The United States' 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup is set.
The USMNT squad will include stars like Christian Pulisic, who was seen as one of the first players to be included, but his 2026 form so far has not been impressive compared to the start of the 2025-2026 season -- particularly with putting the ball in the back of the net.
It's easy to understand why fans would be concerned that Pulisic has not scored a goal in 2026 for AC Milan or the USMNT before the last two friendlies and the World Cup.
Athlon Sports spoke with Tim Howard, who was asked about Pulisic's potential mindset heading into the World Cup after going without a goal in the second half of the season.
Tim Howard Points to Christian Pulisic's Mindset as Important Factor
Citing recent interviews with fellow USMNT legends Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, Howard was asked about what he believes is going through Pulisic's mind after finishing the second half of the season goalless after scoring 10 in the first half.
"Clint and Donovan have two different perspectives because they're completely different personality types," Howard told Athlon Sports. "Christian will be hearing the noise, but it's not about hearing the noise; it's how you deal with it. How it affects him is going to be based on his personality, and whether he can block out that noise, and pretend it doesn't matter to him, or if it truly affects him and keeps him up at night."
Pulisic scored in the USMNT's 3-2 win over Senegal and has scored an important goal that can help him heading into the World Cup.
Howard believes scoring before the World Cup, which Pulisic just did, or early in the World Cup, can help him peak in the tournament.
"Sometimes it's easy to say, 'I'll let it ride and let it flow.' But you know he's definitely gonna want to get on the score sheet before the World Cup starts, and certainly if that's not the case early on in the group stages. And if not, that begins to mount, that's normal," Howard said.
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Howard added, "This isn't pee-wee soccer, this is the real stuff. It's all about his mentality, how he deals with it, and as you said, you mentioned you spoke to Clint and Donovan, the two greatest to do it, and they both dealt with it completely differently."
Pulisic and the USMNT only have one friendly match left before the World Cup starts, scheduled against Germany on June 6 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Related: Christian Pulisic Q&A: USMNT Superstar Talks 2026 World Cup, Captaincy, AC Milan
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 6:13 AM.