Christian Pulisic opens the scoring vs. Panama (Video)

In a must-win game for the USMNT against Panama, their star player Christian Pulisic stepped up and delivered big in scoring the opening goal.

Not qualifying for the World Cup is unthinkable for the United States. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would say they’re the fourth best team in CONCACAF, but they’ve been playing downright horrible in the Hex.

After fans called for Jurgen Klinsmann to be fired, the hiring of Bruce Arena didn’t fix much. Their loss to Costa Rica and draw against Honduras were among some of their worst performances in recent memory. For a while, it seemed like USA had spent all of their energy in the Gold Cup, but in a must-win game against Panama, the players were able to unlock a second gear.

Big time players make big time plays, which is where Christian Pulisic comes in. Just 19 years old, he’s already regarded as USMNT’s most important piece. It’s no secret that a big reason why they lost to Costa Rica and drew to Honduras was because he played poorly. But against Panama, he got off to a flying start, scoring in the eighth minute:

Just 11 minutes later, he assisted on a cheeky goal from Jozy Altidore. Altidore, as it happened, was the assist man for Pulisic on his first goal.

Unfortunately for Panama, this wouldn’t be the first time that USA broke their hearts. During the Hexagonal stage of the 2014 World Cup, Panama led 2-1 and was on the verge of qualifying. But two stoppage time goals from Graham Zusi and Aron Johansson shifted the three points in the US’ favor, and opened the door for Mexico to qualify instead.

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If USA wins, they would shift Panama out of the top three in the standings and sit two points out with a game to go. As much as USA needs this result, Panama needs it way more.