Christian Pulisic's controversial decision to sit out USMNT games has paid off

"When Christian Pulisic, captain of the national soccer team, announced last spring that he would choose rest over representing his country in the CONCACAF Gold Cup - the last major tournament before next summer's World Cup - the blowback was fierce and frequently personal. He played a career-high 3,650 minutes for AC Milan last season and appeared in 118 games for club and country in the previous 22 months. He needed a break, he said, to rest mind and body. Yet the decision to take that break was attacked as selfish, egotistical and an act of betrayal."

""Not wanting to play in the Gold Cup, it's pissing me off," Landon Donovan, the national team's all-time leader in assists and co-leader in goals, said of the timing. "I just can't fathom turning down the privilege of representing my country," added Alexi Lalas, a former national team defender. Four months later, however, it appears Pulisic made the right decision. Seven weeks into the new season, a rested and reinvigorated Pulisic leads Italy's Serie A with four goals to go with two assists. He's scored six times in all competition, the best start to a season in his 11-year career."

""He's performing and he's playing under big pressure," USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said in a conference call last week. "He needs to perform every single week and every single game in a place like Milan." "Christian is a great player," he added. "I think we can say he is the most important player now for the national team.""

Christian Pulisic opted to rest instead of playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup after consecutive heavy seasons. He logged a career-high 3,650 minutes for AC Milan last season and appeared in 118 games over 22 months, prompting the decision to rest mind and body. The choice drew sharp public criticism from former national team figures. Seven weeks into the new season, Pulisic leads Serie A with four goals and two assists and has six goals in all competitions, marking the best start of his 11-year career. The renewed form has reduced criticism and boosts U.S. optimism ahead of next summer's World Cup.

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