Christian Pulisic is benched again by Chelsea, with the World Cup just two-and-a-half weeks away

USMNT’s Christian Pulisic is relegated to the bench once again for Chelsea’s final Champions League group stage match against Dinamo Zagreb, with the World Cup just two-and-a-half weeks away.

Manager Graham Potter has put his faith in seven players who didn’t start against Brighton at the weekend following the 4-1 loss at the Amex Stadium. Pulisic, who started in the embarrassing defeat to the Seagulls, also featured in the Blues’ last European game in the win (2-1) against RB Salzburg. 

The American appears to have lost his starting spot on the right-hand flank to Raheem Sterling in Wednesday night’s fixture, as the London side host the Croatians at Stamford Bridge.

USMNT’s Christian Pulisic has been demoted to the Chelsea bench against Dinamo Zagreb after starting in the Blues’ last Premier League match in a 4-1 loss to Brighton

Pulisic arrives at Stamford Bright prior to the Blues’ last Champions League group E match against Dinamo Zagreb

So far this season, Pulisic, nicknamed ‘Captain America,’ has featured in 11 Premier League games, scoring once against Wolves in a 3-0 win on October 8th. On the matchday prior, he registered an assist in an away win (2-1) against Crystal Palace.

In total, he’s played 358 minutes in England’s top tier, while he’s played three times in Europe for the Blues, registering an assist in Austria against Salzburg. 

USMNT Gregg Berhalter won’t be too pleased to see his star miss out once more from the start on Wednesday, as he wants players in peak condition and form ahead of the Star and Stripes’ first group B game against Wales on November 21st in Doha.

Pulisic failed to make an impact in the US’ last match against Saudi Arabia (0-0) in September and hasn’t scored for his national team since March in a 5-1 CONCACAF 2022 World Cup qualifier against Panama. 

In that game, he scored hattrick, consisting of two penalties in the first half. 

Berhalter will be hoping to see his captain get some more game action before the race for the FIFA World Cup Trophy starts on November 20th. 

Chelsea host London rivals, Arsenal, at home on November 6th, before taking on Manchester City in the EFL Cup third round fixture. The Blues then travel to the north-east to take an in-form Newcastle side before the month-long international break.

The U.S. plays England in a Black Friday matchup on November 25th in its second World Cup game, after playing Wales, and closes group play on November 29 against Iran.