Christian Pulisic is part of Chelsea’s 23-man squad in the United Arab Emirates. (Photo courtesy of Chelsea)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Christian Pulisic was among the 23-players that Chelsea brought to Abu Dhabi for the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday.

On Friday, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel had voiced his concerns whether the U.S. men’s national team standout could go from sub-zero temperatures of a World Cup qualifier in St. Paul, Minn. to

Tuchel had said that he would consult with team doctors over whether the U.S. men’s national team forward should go from the freezing cold to the heat of the United Arab Emirates in the Club World Cup to the heat of the United Arab Emirates in a short time.

Tuchel had said he would consult with team doctors about playing at extreme temperatures.

Apparently, the physicians gave the 23-year-old a thumb’s up to travel with the team.

The Blues’ will play Wednesday, when they meet the winners of Sunday’s match between Al Hilal and Al Jazira. Al Hilal is the Asian Champions League winners, while Al Jazira is a UAE representative.

Tuchel, as it turned out, contracted COVID-19 and isolated himself from the squad. He did not coach the team’s 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in the F.A. Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Pulisic, who flew across the Atlantic Ocean after the WCQ, did not play in that match.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.