About Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is the wonderkid star player who is expected to carry the USA team in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Of all the players on the team, Pulisic is definitely one of the most qualified, being part of a soccer club playing in the Premier League. However, for those who are not that familiar with American soccer, here are some of the things you need to know about USMNT’s midfielder, Christian Pulisic.
Pulisic’s Play Style
Christian “Captain America” plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder, which places him in a position to make things happen. His explosive speed, exceptional ball-handling skills, pinpoint passing and deadly shooting make him one of the most entertaining players in the game right now.
However, he has also been plagued with injuries even though he’s still quite young. Despite that, he is quick to recover and get back into form because of his youth.
Early Life
Christian Pulisic was born on September 18, 1998 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His parents, Kelley and Mark Pulisic, were both sports lovers and collegiate-level soccer players for George Mason University. So, there is no doubt where he got his soccer acumen from.
Because both of his parents were soccer players, one would think that they forced their interests onto their child, but that’s the opposite of what happened. Even when he was a young child, Pulisic was already heavily interested in playing soccer. His father actively tried to distract him away from the sport, just so he wouldn’t inadvertently force his own interests onto Christian.
Pulisic’s love for soccer grew exponentially when his mother received a scholarship to work in England. When the family transferred to the English countryside, that’s when he started playing competitive soccer. However, after just a couple of years, the family had to move back to the U.S. This was after his mother’s working scholarship had expired.
Even though the family moved back to the U.S., Pulisic continued playing soccer in school.
Early Career
In 2014, the German soccer team Borussia Dortmund scouted the emerging talent of Christian Pulisic. Back then, he was already playing for PA Classics, a small soccer club based in Pennsylvania. This transition was more than just smooth. Pulisic became one of the leaders of the new soccer club.
In 2016, just a year after joining Dortmund, Pulisic led the team to a very impressive 2-0 win against FC Ingolstadt. He quickly rose through the ranks of the soccer club. Pulisic had become the youngest American player to set records in their league.
Joining Chelsea
In 2019, Christian Pulisic was offered a hefty £57.6M contract by Chelsea, which was at the time the second-highest contract for an outfielder for the club.
To date, he is only the second American soccer player to have won both a UEFA Champions League and a Club World Cup. In 2021, Pulisic was the one who scored a vital goal in their crucial semifinal match against Real Madrid.
Playing for the USMNT
Pulisic has always been in the U.S. pool of soccer talents. In 2015, he was a member of the US U-15, and in 2016 he jumped straight into the senior soccer team. In 2015, Pulisic was the captain of the US team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. In three games, Pulisic scored one goal and an assist in three games.
At only 20 years old, Pulisic became the youngest player to captain the U.S. national team. The first couple of years were quite disastrous for the USMNT as they failed to qualify for the World Cup. However, things changed in 2022 when Pulisic scored a hat trick against Panama.
In addition, Pulisic scored the winning goal in the USA’s last group-stage match against Iran, thus securing the USMNT’s spot in the Round of 16 for the FIFA World Cup. Although they didn’t advance further, the future is looking bright for Pulisic and the rest of the USMNT program.
Pulisic is said to be one of the greatest soccer players that have ever come out of the USA, and his star is yet to wane. He is also on the path to become one of the best players of all time.