Making the Case: Christian Pulisic for BioSteel U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year
Pulisic Aims for a Record-Tying Fourth U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year honor
In a year where he finally made his FIFA World Cup dream come true, forward Christian Pulisic compiled another significant body of work to earn another nomination for the 2022 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year.
For the second year in a row, fans will have the opportunity to vote on select Player of the Year Awards, with the fan vote comprising 15% of the total vote. Nominees for all awards are selected by U.S. Soccer’s technical staff. Voting for the awards starts Thursday, Dec. 15 at 11:00 a.m. ET and closes on Dec. 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced in the weeks that follow.
- VOTE NOW: Fan Voting for Player of the Year Awards
Let’s take a look at some of Pulisic’s highlights from 2022:
- The dynamic attacker showed his consistency throughout 2022, jointly tying for the team lead with five goals and leading the team with three assists, eight overall goal contributions and four Man of the Match selections in 2022.
- After tallying the third goal in the 3-0 win against Honduras on Feb. 2, Pulisic secured his first career international hat trick, scoring two penalties before a highlight-reel individual effort in the 5-1 win against Panama on March 27 which all but clinched qualification to the World Cup.
- Pulisic started all four matches at Qatar 2022, playing a part in all three of the team’s goals. In the opening match, it was the 24-year-old who provided the pass for Tim Weah to give the USA a 1-0 lead against Wales. Needing a goal in the group finale against IR Iran, Pulisic sacrificed his body to punch home the game-winner just before halftime. Trailing 2-0 to Netherlands, Pulisic’s pass to Haji Wright gave the USA some hope for an equalizer in the Round of 16 encounter.
- In the end, Pulisic became just the fourth USMNT player to secure three or more goal contributions at the FIFA World Cup, joining Bert Patenaude (4 goals in 1930), Brian McBride (2 goals, 1 assist in 2002) and Landon Donovan (3 goals in 2010).
- On the club front, Pulisic registered 39 games, six goals and five assists across all competitions for Chelsea prior to the FIFA World Cup break.
- Pulisic helped The Blues to runner-up finishes in both the 2021-22 English FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and tallied two goals and an assist in UEFA Champions League play during the calendar year.
Pulisic is already a three-time winner of the award, securing the honor in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and finishing as runner-up in 2020. He also claimed Young Male Player of the Year in 2016.