Soccer in the United States is in a period of spectacular growth. The sport grows increasingly popular with each passing day, new supporters are minted every time a breath is taken, and ever more cities are searching for an MLS franchise to call their own.
As the popularity has surged, MLS franchises have been required to have academies to develop young players. They're all fully aware that the future of their clubs and this sport in the United States is in developing future stars, something which wasn't given the same level of importance in the past.
This not only happening at high-level clubs--more and more schools and academies are created in North America, which means more and more kids want to be like their idols, such as Landon Donovan, Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi.
Thus, young American stars such as Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal FC), Emerson Hyndman (Fulham FC) and Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC) are appearing at some of Europe's top clubs. But above all, there is a 17-year-oldwho in just two years has broken through with not only Borussia Dortmund but the senior men's National Team. His name is Christian Pulisic.
The kid who would have just finished his junior year of high school were he still in the America school system has done more at a younger age than any foreign-born player ever has in the Bundesliga.
Yankee Hope
Christian Pulisic has lived in a soccer environment since he was a child, because his father Mark played indoor soccer for the Harrison Heat a soccer indoor team from 1991 to 1999.
He started playing soccer when he was seven years old for the Michigan Rush at the same time his father was coaching the Detroit Ignition from the Major Indoor Soccer League. This was the important step to a decision that would change his life completely.
In 2011, Pulisic joined the PA Classics, one of the most important U.S. Soccer Development Academies in the country, which has groomed players like Zarek Valentin and David Horst.
“That's his best quality, is I think that's what's enabling him, plus obviously, his talent, to keep things in perspective and keep climbing the leader,” PA Classic Director Klein said about Pulisic. “The thing that we always felt was going to help him through was he seemed to be very grounded and focused on his training and his goals.”
Pulisic played a number of junior tournaments around Europe, which saw him start to get noticed by European clubs. He continued excelling with PA Classics and began to get called up by Junior National Teams. He soon joined the U-17 Residency Program in Florida alongside other top young American players. He moved to Germany, where he began training with Borussia Dortmund's youth teams.
At the start of this season, Pulisic was called to participate in the U-17 FIFA World Cup for The Stars and Stripes. The US performed poorly, finishing last in their group, but Pulisic was one of the scorers. The young midfielder had a very good performance, which began to cap the attention of ‘Borussen’ first team coaches.
During the first part of the season with the U-19 team, the young American played 15 matches in which he scored ten goals and eight assistants. During the Bundesliga Winter Break, he was called into the first team for training. The following month, he played the second 45 minutes of two matches, in which he scored a goal and gave an assist.
His good performances made him a part of Borussia Dortmund's first team roster. His debut came on January 30, in a match against FC Ingolstadt, where he replaced Adrian Ramos in the second half. The midfielder continued to participate as a substitute in some games until he made his first start a month later against Bayer Leverkusen. His second start was against Schalke 04 in the ‘Revierderby’, one of the most important games in German soccer.
Pulisic scored his first goal in official competition a few weeks later, ranking as the fourth youngest non-German player to score a goal in Bundesliga action. He played nine more games over the course of the season, adding a second goal and becoming the youngest ever player to score twice in league play.
His exceptional growth led Jürgen Klinsmann to call him up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He made his USMNT debut in a 4-0 victory over Guatemala in Columbus, Ohio. Pulisic appeared from the bench, replacing Graham Zusi.
Copa America-bound
At the end of the season with his club, he enjoyed one of the most important moments in his early career when the German coach selected him for his 23-man roster to participate in the Copa America Centenario, ahead of many players in the same position who were performing at a high level.
Pulisic's time in the Copa was limited, as Klinsmann wants to be cautious with his development. However, he made three appearances and impressed greatly against Argentina in the Americans' 4-0 semifinal loss.
What's interesting is that their participation was in those games in which his team had fallen behind. He made his tournament debut as a substitute in the first game against Colombia when he came in the 66th minute with the USMNT down 2-0.
He didn't play again until the semifinal against Argentina, in the painful defeat that he suffered for his National Team. He came on in the second half, and though the team underperformed, Pulisic impressed.
He played again in the third-place match which the host nation lost 1-0 again to Los Cafeteros.
Great hopes, expectations
The emergence of Pulisic in the soccer world has made many fans, especially Americans, begin to compare with the greatest soccer star in United States history, Landon Donovan. The similarities between both at the beginning of his careers, makes optimists see him as the successor to Landon. Both became known due to their performances in U-17 World Cups and are starting their careers in Germany.
Donovan only played a year in German soccer because he never adapted to the culture, lifestyle or style of play. However, the young player with Croatian origins has only taken six months to prove his class. He's made a believer of Donovan already, who recently said that the "sky is the limit for Christian Pulisic."
If Pulisic can continue to develop and doesn't have undue expectations or burdens placed on his shoulders, there's no reason why he couldn't grow to become a truly fantastic United States international.