USA penalty taker

Christian Pulisic is our current USA penalty taker call, with Malik Tillman next in line if the order changes.

Christian Pulisic remains the strongest USA penalty candidate when the main squad is together. The freshest clean senior in-match conversion in the official trail is his penalty against Uzbekistan in 2023, while the 2025 Gold Cup showed an alternate US squad using Malik Tillman from the spot when Pulisic was absent. In full-strength A-team context, the balance of evidence still points clearly to Pulisic, with Tillman now the best named backup because he is the only other recent senior in-match taker in the file.

If you searched for USA penalty taker, the hierarchy at the top is the quickest answer we are willing to publish right now. The evidence trail underneath shows why that order makes the cut.

For World Cup 2026, Christian Pulisic is the current first-choice call for USA, with Malik Tillman the closest backup if the tournament order shifts.

A fresh in-match penalty can move this page quickly, especially if it contradicts the current lead or happens with the full-strength tournament pool on the pitch.

For the more conditional boards, one more clean senior penalty is often enough to sharpen the backup line or flip the order outright.

Spot a hierarchy shift, a squad-specific wrinkle or a better local source? Contact us here. If you are close to the USA setup and have stronger information, that is exactly the kind of update we want.