Will Pulisic watch from the sidelines as the USMNT lines up against Chile in St. Louis?
The United States opened the post‑World Cup era with a 4‑1 rout of Peru, featuring four different scorers and 11 senior debuts, giving Pochettino ample room to experiment again.
Teenagers made an instant splash, especially Cavan Sullivan on debut, while Julian Hall contributed a goal and an assist after coming off the bench.
Energizer Park has been a fortress, with the US unbeaten in four matches there and no home loss to Chile since 1995, despite a 1‑1 draw in 2019 after Pulisic’s early strike.
Chile arrives after a 1‑0 loss to Canada that saw Gabriel Suazo and Lucas Cepeda sent off, leaving interim boss Nicolas Cordova to reshuffle the left flank in defence and attack.
So, is Christian Pulisic playing today?
No, Pulisic won’t feature; he was omitted from the September‑October roster as Pochettino leans on younger talent while the 28‑year‑old recovers from his World Cup injury. In my view, sitting him out signals a bold rebuild.
The 28‑player list, unveiled by Pochettino, excluded Pulisic and other veterans, yet US Soccer billed it as a mix of experience and potential, with 13 members from the 2026 World Cup squad alongside fresh prospects.
Christian Pulisic of the United States participates away from other players during a training session
The left side of attack is wide open, and several outlets project Cole Campbell to earn his senior debut, while Cavan Sullivan, Gio Reyna and Julian Hall round out a dramatically reshaped frontline since the World Cup.
With four friendlies on the calendar, Pochettino can keep rotating; he made ten changes against Peru, and many unused players are now in contention for the Chile match.
USMNT vs Chile: Confirmed lineups
USMNT confirmed XI (4‑2‑3‑1): Chris Brady; Sergiño Dest, Miles Robinson, Neil Pierre, Frankie Westfield; Sebastian Berhalter, Brooklyn Raines, Adri Mehmeti; Giovanni Reyna, Julian Hall, Antonee Robinson.
Chile confirmed XI (4‑3‑3): Lawrence Vigoroux; Felipe Faundez, Jonathan Villagra, Ivan Roman, Diego Ulloa; Victor Felipe Mendez, Felipe Loyola, Nils Reichmuth; Maximiliano Gutierrez, Ben Brereton, Dario Osorio.