As the final stage of CONCACAF qualifying reached the halfway point, the USA were hosting neighbours and fierce rivals Mexico in Cincinnati.

Manager Gregg Berhalter had already said Pulisic wouldn’t be able to start the match as he continued his return to full fitness, following an injury which had caused him to miss their three matches in the last international break, but with a hotly contested tie still goalless in the second half, he called upon the Chelsea forward to make a difference.

He was certainly rewarded for that decision, as Pulisic had been on the pitch for less than five minutes when he provided the breakthrough the Americans needed, netting a rare header after getting the better of his marker in the box to meet a cross from the right by Tim Weah, son of former Blues striker and Ballon d’Or winner George Weah.

Having been given the lead by Pulisic, the USA were able to take more control of what had previously been an evenly matched game, before Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie made it 2-0 with five minutes remaining, a scoreline they would hold despite a late red card for Miles Robinson.

That result allowed them to leapfrog their opponents Mexico into top spot in the eight-team league table, albeit only on goal difference, at the midway stage. More importantly, it takes them three points clear of fourth-placed Panama, with the top three qualifying automatically for next year’s World Cup.

It also extends the USA’s winning run over their local rivals to three in a row, with Pulisic also having scored the winning goal in the first of those, a 3-2 extra-time victory in the CONCACAF Nations League final in June.