For many of the young men who’ve anchored this ambitious generation of American players through one World Cup cycle and now into another, the U.S. national team has been a refuge as well as a springboard.
Dreams of representing their country and playing on the most celebrated stages developed alongside the realization that the national team—especially one loaded with guys of similar age—could be a place where they might reconnect, recharge and rediscover their form or confidence. The demands aren’t necessarily different than those of a European club, but the environment is. Teammates are longtime friends or peers, and the coaches are counting on you.
“When I go to the national team, it’s always great. That’s the first thing, getting to speak to people that can relate to you very easily and a lot of close friends that I’ve played with for quite a long time,” Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic told Sports Illustrated last summer.
