CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Relief could be seen on Christian Pulisic’s face as he sidestepped goalkeeper Mory Diaw and buried a shot into the net for a first-half goal.
“Now maybe we can stop talking about it,” Pulisic said later.
The drought, that is.
Pulisic had a goal and an assist as he ended a five-month scoreless streak for club and country in a confidence-building 3-2 U.S. win over Senegal on Sunday, the Americans' next-to-last World Cup warmup before their June 12 opener.
America's top player finished his AC Milan season scoreless in a career-high 19 club games since Dec. 28 and was without a goal eight straight U.S. matches since November 2024.
“I felt this confidence, like I have played really well in recent months, but all everyone seems to want to worry about is goals. so hopefully we can stop talking about it,” Pulisic said. “We have games ahead and I have to be ready.”
Pulisic's goal seemed like an emotional relief, as if weight had been lifted off the shoulders of the 27-year-old.
“We are all happy for him and we didn’t doubt him for a second,” said midfielder Weston McKennie, who has known Pulisic since he was 13. “People that don’t know him may not know his abilities or what he is capable of.”
Alex Freeeman side-footed a pass ahead of a streaking Ricardo Pepi down the right flank. Pepi ran onto the ball and took a touch, then perfectly weighted a pass into the penalty area ahead of a streaking Pulisic.
Pulisic took a touch, rounded Diaw and slotted into an open net with his right foot from a tight angle for his 33rd goal in 85 international appearances.
He pumped his fists downward as he ran toward toward the corner flag, He first threw a fist in the air. Then he slid to both knees and repeatedly pumped tightly-closed fists in raw emotion.
Was it a relief?
“Yeah," said Pulisic, who played just the first half. "I think you could see it my reaction.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino had predicted last week that the drought would come to an end in the World Cup.
“The performance of Christian, for 45 minutes, was really, really good,” Pochettino said. “He still has the potential to improve. But I think it is the way that he is training from day one. How way he played for 45 minutes was the habits that he created last week. Every day training with this attitude, with this commitment, with this energy. I think now we need to try to extend (it) until 90 minutes.
“I am happy for him also because after a long time, a few months, he scored again. Obviously, that is important for our players in the preparation to the World Cup.”
Pulisic said he was more excited about the outcome of the match.
The United States fed off the emotion and energy of a pro-American crowd of 57,741 in soccer-crazed Charlotte, home of this summer's Major League Soccer All-Star Game.
Pulisic had a goal and assist in the same U.S. game for the eighth time. Only Landon Donovan with 13 has had more since 1995.
He was key to the first goal. Pepi took a pass from Antonee Robinson, spun between Iliman Ndiaye and Abdoulaye Seck and made an incisive pass that sent Pulisic streaking alone down the left flank. Pulisic took two touches and sent a cross just outside the 6-yard box for Sergiño Dest, who beat Diaw for third international goal.
Senegal captain Sadio Mané scored twice following American mistakes to tie the score 2-2, extending his Senegal record with 54 international goals. He took advantage ofan Antonee Robinson giveaway to beat goalkeeper Matt Turner in the 44th and tapped the ball into the net in the 52nd after Nicolas Jackson had lifted it over onrushing goalkeeper Chris Brady.
Folarin Balogun scored the tiebreaking goal in the 63rd.
Headed to his second World Cup, Pulisic was smiling.
“I'm feeling a little more relaxed, even more now — and confident,” he said. “That's a really good result. That's a strong team. That's a really good team. So I think that we can feel good about it, but there is still a lot of work to do.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
United States forward Christian Pulisic (10) celebrates with midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (14) after scoring in the first half against Senegal in an international friendly soccer match Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
United States forward Christian Pulisic (10) shoots past Senegal forward Cherif Ndiaye (23) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
United States forward Christian Pulisic, center left, celebrates with midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (14) after scoring in the first half against Senegal in an international friendly soccer match Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Russell Henley went from standing in the rough and just trying to avoid going over par in the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge to winning the tournament.
After saving par at the 15th hole Sunday to remain three strokes off the lead, Henley made four consecutive birdies. He finished regulation with three in a row to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then got his fourth with a 5-footer on the first extra hole.
“Still kind of speechless about it,” Henley said after a closing 3-under 67 and his sixth PGA Tour victory. “Hard to believe I'm sitting here.”
Henley’s late surge denied fellow 37-year-old Cole his first PGA Tour win on a day when Ben Griffin came up just short of a shot to become the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive tournaments at Colonial.
Playing in the group ahead of Cole, Henley made 15-foot putts at the 171-yard 16th hole and the par-4 17th. He got to 12 under with a 17-footer on the par-4 18th.
Cole shot an even-par 70. He parred the final seven holes — eight counting the playoff.
Griffin (65), Alex Smalley (68) and Mac Meissner (69) finished 11-under 269 at Hogan's Alley.
Henley, whose best finish this year had been a tie for third at the Masters, earned $1.78 million, the plaid jacket and a customized 1982 Jeep Scrambler vehicle.
“I’ve been playing really well the last three or four years, or even more, really. And even though I’ve been playing well, I still feel like I keep coming back to this realization that it’s just so hard,” Henley said. “So to get to win out here and to play consistently well, it takes everything out of me. ... There’s just the mental grind of it as well. So just each time I’ve gotten over the finish line and gotten a win it’s just very special."
The drives for Henley and Cole on the extra hole, playing the 18th again, stopped in the fairway — Cole got a huge break when his ball somehow bounced through the left rough and settled on the edge of the short grass. Henley then hit his wedge shot first, and Cole hit his to 13 feet before missing his birdie attempt.
Cole, in his 120th PGA Tour start since his debut in 2021, never fell out of the lead in regulation during the final round, even when finishing the front nine with his first double bogey (or worse) in a span of 316 holes. After a wayward drive at the 398-yard ninth and an approach into the water fronting this green, his long bogey chance stopped an inch from the cup.
His only birdie on the back was at the 628-yard 11th, but he had some significant par savers down the stretch. He made an up-and-down out of a fairway bunker at the 443-yard 12th hole, lagged a putt inside 5 feet at the par-3 16th after his tee shot on the green was still 47 feet from the cup, then had a short chip to set up his last putt after his approach at the 18th took an awkward bounce right to the rough and was 15 feet away.
“I was proud with the way I played. I think I played solid for the most part. ... I just needed to get a shave a shot somewhere,” said Cole, who began the day with a two-stroke lead after a 63 on Saturday. “It's disappointing, but I still feel good and happy with the way I played.”
Henley started the day eagle-birdie, but quickly gave all three of those shots back with bogeys at Nos. 3-5 — the aptly-named Horrible Horseshoe at Colonial. He had another bogey at No. 9, making the turn at 8 under.
“Kind of a weird start to the day, and just kept fighting,” Henley said.
Griffin began six strokes back after three consecutive rounds of 68, and had five birdies on the front nine. But he didn't have another until a 25-footer at the 17th hole to get to 11 under, within a stroke of Cole six holes behind him. Griffin had a long birdie chance at No. 16 curl just over the top of the cup, then a 50-footer lipped out at No. 18.
“Pretty cool to see it rolling toward the cup,” Griffin said. “It almost made for a really dramatic finish.”
Hogan, a five-time winner, won the first two Colonials ever played in 1946 and 1947, went back-to-back again in 1952 and 1953, and got his last win in 1959.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Eric Cole reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Eric Cole watches a tee shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Eric Cole lines up a putt on the fifth green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Russell Henley hits an approach shot on the 18th fairway during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Russell Henley kisses the winner's trophy after the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Russell Henley reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
