Not that long ago, Christian Pulisic did everything.
Among Premier League wingers and attacking midfielders in the 2019-20 season, the Chelsea and U.S. men's national team star did all of these things at an above-average rate, per the site FBRef: took shots, created chances for his teammates, passed the ball into the penalty area, received the ball inside the penalty area, pressured the opposition in the attacking third, dribbled past defenders, carried the ball forward, passed the ball forward, received passes forward, drew fouls, nutmegged opponents, won penalties and won headers.
As an American soccer player, Pulisic was facing a special kind of the impossible expectations that all star athletes face -- and, somehow, he was meeting them. Unlike, say, his former Borussia Dortmund teammate and uber-prospect Jadon Sancho, he couldn't afford to fail. If Sancho didn't become one of the best players in the world; the English national team would be just fine. But even with Pulisic electrifying opponents in CONCACAF, the United States missed the 2018 World Cup. The future of the national team seemed to hinge on Pulisic, who was already the best player to ever wear the USMNT jersey, getting even better.
And he would ... right? RIGHT?
This is the story of Pulisic's progression, and regression. What's he doing with the ball, what's he doing without it and what's next?