United States considering tactic shift to get Pulisic on track - ESPN

MARIETTA, Georgia — United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said he's considering some tactical tweaks to help get star attacker Christian Pulisic back to his best in front of the goal.

The U.S. plays Portugal on Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, after a one-sided 5-2 loss to Belgium on Saturday in which the Americans — including Pulisic — failed to convert chances.

Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun were foiled by nice saves from Belgium's Senne Lammens in the first half, and Pulisic created solid opportunities from quick-strike sequences in the 14th and 52nd minutes but failed put accurate attempts on goal.

Pochettino said that while he was encouraged by the chances that his team created in attack — and added that defensive breakdowns were clearly the larger issue — the lack of clinical finishing frustrated him.

«I think when you see the stats of the game,» Pochettino said, «I think we have clear chances to score.» The Argentine also suggested that his muted response to McKennie's goal, which put the U.S. ahead in the 39th minute, was in part due to this frustration.

«My gut feeling, it wasn't good,» Pochettino said. «Because when we scored, [it] should be the third goal, not the first one.

Pulisic finished with three shot attempts, but none of those found the back of the net in his seventh straight U.S. match without a goal. His last national team goal came against Jamaica in November of 2024 — and he hasn't scored at all in 2026 for club or country.

The former Chelsea winger's last competitive goal of any kind came on Dec. 28, but in his last 12 matches for AC Milan, he failed to score from any of his 29 shot attempts. He's created just one assist in that span, as well.

After a brilliant start to his club