Christian Pulisic Opens Chelsea Season With Goal vs. Crystal Palace

After converting a penalty in the UEFA Super Cup last week, the U.S. men's national team star scored in Chelsea's Premier League opener vs. Crystal Palace.
Christian Pulisic Opens Chelsea Season With Goal vs. Crystal Palace
Christian Pulisic Opens Chelsea Season With Goal vs. Crystal Palace /

With three trophies in three months, Christian Pulisic has been thriving in the spotlight for club and country. On Saturday at Stamford Bridge, Pulisic only continued his memorable year with a goal in Chelsea's season opener. 

With Chelsea leading Crystal Palace thanks to a stellar Marcos Alonso free-kick goal, Pulisic doubled the lead in the 40th minute. After Mason Mount whipped in a low cross from the wing, Pulisic found himself in the right place at the right time, pouncing on Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita's rebound to sweep home the chance.

Pulisic has only continued to terrorize Crystal Palace with five goals in five career games against the south London side. It's a welcome sight for Chelsea and USMNT fans alike after the 22-year-old's down year last season, where he scored only four league goals after notching nine in his debut Premier League season.  

Pulisic scored the winning goal—a 114th-minute penalty—for the U.S. men's national team in its dramatic Concacaf Nations League final win over Mexico in June, less than two weeks after becoming the first USMNT player to feature in a Champions League final in a win against Manchester City. 

The winger also converted a penalty kick in the UEFA Super Cup (played between the winners of last season's Champions League and Europa League) against Villarreal, which Chelsea also won.  

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Andrew Gastelum
ANDREW GASTELUM

Andrew Gastelum is a programming editor and writer at Sports Illustrated who specializes in soccer, the Olympics and international sports. He joined the SI staff in March 2021 and previously contributed to Howler Magazine and NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame alum and is currently based in Italy.