USMNT celebrates Nations League title by turning Christian Pulisic into a champagne bowling ball

PARADISE, Nev. — Christian Pulisic waltzed into the post-match mixed zone with his arms overflowing and a party bus awaiting. He and the U.S. men's national team had just won the CONCACAF Nations League. A shiny soccer ball-shaped trophy, his reward as the tournament's best player, was cradled in one hand. More relevant, though, in that moment, was the Bud Light in his other hand.

Journalists had questions for him, admittedly boring questions — about Gio Reyna and Chris Richards, about set pieces and preparation. But which coaches, exactly, had helped with that preparation?

Pulisic smiled. He wasn't about to rattle off names. "There's too much champagne in my mind right now," he said. "I smell like champagne." In fact, he was covered in it, and his teammates were joyously responsible.

Their on-field celebration and trophy lift had been far more subdued than in 2021. But when they reached their locker room at Allegiant Stadium, their relative reticence evaporated. They arrived to find buckets of beer and bubbly. Pulisic stepped up onto a center table, Nations League trophy in hand, and soaked up flying champagne until his eyes stung.

But that was just the beginning.

Players soon set up bottles as bowling pins, and slid Pulisic toward them on the champagne-drenched floor. They erupted in cheers, though one seemed to realize: "That was not smart, bro!"

Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and others captured some of the locker room scene with phones and cameras. McKennie poured a Bud into the Nations League trophy, and waterfalled it into his mouth.

Antonee Robinson tried similarly, but spilled foamy liquid down his chin and shirt.

Beers were also shotgunned, and dumped on teammates' heads.

McKennie led a rendition of a "High School Musical" song, and in general, music bumped. It followed them all through hallways, to the team bus, which became the third celebration venue. McKennie, Richards and Robinson led the boisterous festivities from the rear.

(Warning: The following video, of players singing along to Meek Mill's "Dreams and Nightmares," contains explicit language.)

The team hotel, just east of the Vegas strip, soon became a fourth venue. And there will surely be others. Sunday was the culmination of two triumphant weeks, but also, for many players, of long European seasons. They'll head off on vacations to rest and recharge. But first, presumably, they'll enjoy themselves deep into the Sin City night.