EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMARIETTA, Ga. -- United States star Christian Pulisic admitted that he feels pressure as a home World Cup approaches, but added, "it's nothing I can't handle."AC Milan attacker Pulisic and the rest of the USMNT are preparing for friendlies against Belgium on Saturday and then Portugal three days later. The U.S. team won't convene again until May after the World Cup roster has already been selected by head coach Mauricio Pochettino.- Can USMNT's depth at the 2026 World Cup make a difference?- Reyna felt 'fortunate' to get March USMNT call- USMNT players reveal what 'strict' but 'loving' Pochettino is like behind the scenesThe U.S. begins the World Cup, which it is co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico, against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California."I mean, you guys [in the media] want me to feel the pressure, that's for sure. There's pressure. It's a World Cup," Pulisic said at Friday's news conference."It's not because of my position in the team or anything. I'm used to this. I wouldn't want to be in any other position. I'm so lucky, I feel privileged to be in this position. There's pressure. I feel it."Yes. It's there, but it's nothing that I can't handle. I'm going to attack it head on. We are as a team. I don't need to do it by myself. That's the beauty of it. I have guys like [Weston McKennie], I have my whole team behind me, the staff, a country of fans, and I'm just going to do the best I can. That's all I can do."Pulisic has long been the face of the USMNT, and the hope is that he'll lead the U.S. side to a deep run at this summer's tournament. The furthest the U.S. has reached at a men's World Cup, since the 13-team inaugural tournament in 1930, was a quarterfinal place in 2002.The 27-year-old said that such expectations don't faze him, especially given that he has played for top clubs like Chelsea and Milan, and has already played in a World Cup four years ago in Qatar."I'd say like at this point in my career, it's not much of a struggle for me. I've gotten pretty used to it. I've just deleted most social media off my phone. It's pretty easy. I just try to avoid it. And then there's always going to be pressures."I feel like people ... Yeah, you guys might think there's more pressure than there is because you see it and read it and that's what you guys do. But really, I'm just kind of oblivious to it."Pulisic added that he has high standards for himself, and whatever pressure he feels is an outgrowth of that."I put a lot of pressure on myself. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and the way we want to perform, how much work we put in, we expect a lot of ourselves," he said. "And we try to focus on those things, what really matters, the people that affect us directly. And that's all we can really do."
