At Just 17 years of age, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic is the youngest foreigner to score a goal in the Bundesliga, and the youngest player to score for the US national team. Michael Vanderhoff caught up with the red hot footballing prospect between Dortmund's two International Champions League Cup games in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Borussia Dortmund squared off against Manchester United in a 2016 International Champions League Cup match held in Shanghai on July 22. The game never seemed to get out of second gear as the heat, humidity, and Man U’s poor early season form slowed the pace. Dortmund won easily 4-1. In the 63rd minute they brought on American Christian Pulisic for a half hour run in the haze. A pre-season substitution is usually not noteworthy, but this player is just 17, and in the last six months has muscled his way into the German Bundesliga and onto the world stage.
Christian Pulisic is on a work trip, “obviously it’s a beautiful hotel and from my hotel room I have a great view,” but that is as far as he has ventured into Shanghai. This is about first team football. He and Borussia Dortmund face Manchester City tonight in Shenzhen as they prepare for the DFL-Supercup on August 14, the Bundesliga season, and Champions League football. Polite to a fault, Pulisic comes across less brash than a normal 17-year-old kid. Sitting in the hushed lobby of the Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund he chats unassumingly about what he has accomplished.
When he left the US for Germany as a 16-year-old, Pulisic left the summer routine of his friends. The SportCenter “loop” playing in the morning background, following the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals, and thinking about summer jobs faded away. His father came with him to Germany coaching the Dortmund U10 side. Beyond being good for rides, the 17-year-old Pulisic can’t get his license in Germany until September, “after each day I could come home and I’d have somebody to talk to and kind of guide me through it.” Recently his cousin Will has joined him in Germany, currently playing goalkeeper for Dortmund’s U19s. Roommates from their time at the US National Team Residency Program in Florida, Will’s addition adds another layer of support and familiarity as Pulisic develops in the Dortmund’s first team side.
Will announced on Twitter that he would postpone joining Duke University for a year to join Borussia Dortmund. Christian never really considered following the typical American route of finishing high school and heading to college. “I knew it was a dream of mine to come over to Europe,” he explains. He did just that, moving into Dortmund’s first team in 11 appearances and into the US National Team, including this summer’s COPA America Centenario.
Pulisic shoved his way on to the world stage in a matter of months. On April 17, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in his third start against Hamburger SV, becoming the youngest foreigner to score in the Bundesliga. In good American teen form he punctuated his mark with a celebratory dab at the corner flag. He followed that by scoring in Dortmund’s match at Stuttgart, making history once again - this time as the youngest player in league history to ever score two goals. He continued his goal scoring during a call up to the US Men’s senior squad, and broke yet another record - becoming the youngest US goalscorer on May 28 against Bolivia. He was 17 years and 253 days old.
“Just a few years ago I was watching them all in the World Cup. I was just at home watching on my TV.” There is no reason to be star struck; he has earned his place in the squad. “It was crazy. When I got the call it was a proud moment. You always feel good representing your country.” Pulisic must perform with weighty expectations, “the American mindset is just different I think, obviously we don’t have a huge star.” The US media continually searches for the next great thing. “They’re going to overhype him. They go crazy… It can be difficult, not easy being in this position.” Pulisic can’t stick his head in the sand. “Obviously I read stuff, I have social media… it’s looking at it, using it as motivation. It’s not like I feel so pressured by it. I kind of ignore it.”
Pulisic outperformed expectations in Copa America, being called one of the best Americans on the pitch in the US 4-0 loss to Argentina. “The craziest part is just walking onto the field for warm up and looking over and seeing Messi. As a kid I would watch all his videos and then to get a chance to play against him… It is a bit mind boggling I would say.” Instead of watching Messi on TV like friends at home Pulisic met him... in doping control following the game. Pulisic spent a half hour sitting next to the world’s most famous footballer chugging water trying to pee in a cup. “It was pretty weird. I got a picture with him.” In a surreal scene fitting his rise to prominence, Pulisic was able to sit and spend time with one of his idols.
As Pulisic enters his second pre-season camp with Borussia Dortmund he does it already having staked his claim to the senior team. “I’m feeling very confident and comfortable with this season. I’m excited.” Two weeks ago he was on holiday after Copa America and then he finds himself playing 30 minutes against one of the titans of European football, Manchester United, in China. “It’s very difficult. It’s my job. You have to really take care of your body and start to really be a professional. You can’t just eat whatever you want, do whatever you want.”
Heading into tonight’s game versus Manchester City, Dortmund’s confidence is high, “Man U was a good test for us and obviously we did really well.” The heat and humidity will affect the performance, but the team has performed well together and look to do so again against Man City in Shenzhen.
“My dream has always been to be a true professional in Europe. Wherever it takes me I want to get good minutes in in Europe and perform and show people that an American can do something like this in Europe. That it’s not impossible for a kid to just have a dream and want to go after it.”
July 28, 7.30pm; RMB380-1880. Longgang Sports Center. See event listing.
[Images via Daily Mail, Youtube, Washington Post]
0 User Comments