USMNT coach Greg Berhalter says Christian Pulisic has a chance to reclaim his place in the Chelsea team after Thomas Tuchel was surprisingly fired earlier this week.
Tuchel, a Champions League winning coach at Chelsea, was dismissed by owner Todd Boehly after an inconsistent start to the new season hit a new low in the Champions League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb.
United States international Pulisic made five substitute appearances in Chelsea's opening five Premier League matches but started the fortunate 2-1 win over West Ham. He was a sub once again for the Zagreb boss.
But now, Berhalter sees an opening that could be useful to the United States ahead of its World Cup preparations.
'I’m not happy a guy lost his job. But if this means more opportunity for Christian, then it’s positive because he’s a guy that’s proven that he can perform at that level,' Berhalter was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. 'We’ll just have to wait and see.'
But even if new Chelsea coach Graham Potter opts for other attacking alternatives than Pulisic, it is highly unlikely it will threaten his involvement at this year's tournament.
'I’m sure there’s not going to be anything drastic, but there may be a couple of guys that pop up,' Berhalter said of the squad he is planning to take to Qatar.
'If someone gets injured and they can’t go on that day, we’ll be ready with alternates.'
Pulisic and the United States begin the World Cup campaign against Wales on November 21.
The second game is with England on November 25 and the group is rounded out against Iran on November 29.