Understandably it sounds totally bizarre to suggest the USA should not start Christian Pulisic following his attacking involvement in the World Cup draw with Wales, but it could be a key decision that helps them as they hope to progress into the knockout stages.
After struggling to impress Graham Potter, the third manager he has played under since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in January 2019, Pulisic is seeking more first-team minutes and could be looking for a move away in January.
Currently, though, Pulisic's priorities are with the USMNT as they are in Qatar competing at the 2022 World Cup in the group B alongside Wales, England and Iran.
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Gregg Berhalter's side dominated the Welsh in the first half of their World Cup outing with Pulisic as their main talisman and he made a significant impact on the game after he escaped away from Joe Rodon before sprinting towards the Wales box and poking through for Timothy Weah to put the USA in front.
There was some concern in the second half for Pulisic after he was seen limping before he was kicked quite powerfully by Rodon moments later and he looked set to be replaced but remained on the field until the final whistle.
Gareth Bale cancelled out Weah's opener from the penalty spot late in the second half which means the two teams sit on one point with England top after their romping 6-2 win over Iran. Following this fixture being a stalemate, with many predicting the other qualification spot would be contested between these two teams, the scheduling of their two remaining fixtures is very important.
Wales face Iran on Friday while the USA take on England and not starting Pulisic could be beneficial for the USA although it would be huge risk to take.
The Three Lions look in scintillating form and will likely dominate possession and territory against the USA and, despite the late challenge to concede a penalty, defended resolutely in the final stages when Wales piled mounds of pressure on the USA backline.
An England win and Wales win over Iran are the likely outcomes from matchday two in group B which would then in turn mean Pulisic's nation would have to outscore the hypothetical Wales win over Iran, and Pulisic, who would have been rested for a week, would be needed to have a significant attacking impact on proceedings.
It isn't just from a tactical viewpoint though that Pulisic missing out could be good, as the Blues star was the target of some strong Welsh challenges and any injury suffered would likely see his tournament end.
Of course, regardless of how many the USA score against Iran, they need England to beat Wales and although Gareth Southgate's side would be the favourites they may choose to rotate players with qualification to the knockout stages already secured.
A fully-rested Pulisic could be key to the USA's tournament progression which may mean he would have more of an impact in what could be their qualification decider against Iran next Tuesday.
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