2019-03-01 World Soccer

BIOGRAPHY

in making a name for himself with the

Black-and-Yellows, either scoring or

providing an assist in each of his first four

starts for the under-17s and featuring

prominently as they won the 2015

national title. Usually lining up as a

number 10, he formed an exceptional

deep-lying attacking trident with future

German under-21 international Felix

Passlack, who is currently on loan at

Norwich City in England, and Jacob

Bruun Larsen, a Dane who scored

his first goal for Dortmund’s senior

side in September.

Dortmund’s ethos of “if you’re

good enough,

you’re old enough”

speaks volumes for

the ability of Pulisic,

who at 16 began

training with the

first team. Beneath

the surface he might have been

awestruck but he managed to keep

his emotions in check and came through

the audition unscathed.

The teen’s emergence coincided with

Jurgen Klopp’s last few months in charge

of Dortmund and in February 2015 the

coach told Kicker magazine: “[Pulisic]

absolutely can play. In intensive drills in

tight spaces, he didn’t let himself down.

It’s a real sign of quality.”

There was simply no stopping Pulisic

and after an explosive four-month stint

with the Dortmund under-19s in the

autumn of 2015 he was included in

the first-team squad for a winter-break

trip to Dubai. On the resumption of

the Bundesliga, he made his top-flight

debut aged 17 years and 133 days and

became the eighth youngest player in

the competition’s history. A couple of

weeks later, Thomas Tuchel – Klopp’s

successor – handed him his first taste

of continental action.

In late February 2016 he made his

first start, lining up on the left wing

against Bayer Leverkusen, and two

months on a goal against Hamburg

at the Westfalenstadion made him the

fourth youngest Bundesliga marksman

at 17 years and 212 days.

Confident, though never lapsing into

brazen cockiness, Pulisic continues to

unfurl the coming-of-age achievements:

his Champions League opening night in

September 2016 versus Legia Warsaw;

his first goal in that competition in a

round-of-16 defeat of Benfica; a 2017

German Cup winners’ medal.

“We’re no longer at the point of being

surprised by Christian’s performances,”

said Tuchel at the time. “He’s justified

our trust in him. He’s a player who never

gives up. He’s critical of himself and

always maintains his intensity.

“He’s composed, he’s reliable. He plays

to his potential under pressure.”

Former Dortmund youth coach Wolf

wholeheartedly agrees, explaining to

Kicker: “As soon as he came to us as a

15-year-old it was clear what he was

the right place for me,” recalls Pulisic.

“They really liked me. I pretty much knew

that this was what I wanted.”

It has since emerged that Dortmund’s

regional arch-rivals Schalke were also in

the hunt to sign the boy wonder and the

Gelsenkirchener reportedly held talks with

his agent. By way of consolation, they

would two years later seal a deal for Haji

Wright, who made his first-team debut in

the Bundesliga in November last year.

Although he was accompanied by

his father during his first two years in

Germany, Pulisic naturally experienced

a few teething problems in his new

surroundings. A mere 15 years old, he

found himself 3,800 miles from home,

spoke not a word of German and had to

settle in at a local school.

“It was not easy for him,” according to

Dortmund youth-team coach Hannes

Wolf. “He was pushed to the extreme.”

A particularly frustrating aspect of

his first few months in Dortmund was a

decree that prevented him from playing

in competitive games as he waited for

his application for European citizenship

to go through. With his grandfather, Mate,

hailing from Croatia, he was eligible for

the same passport rights and by 2015

the administrative hurdles were finally

cleared and he could at last turn out

for Dortmund’s under-17s.

Free to finally play, he wasted no time

OCT 20, 2015

Captains the USA

and scores in a 2-2

draw with Croatia at

the Under-17 World

Cup in Chile.

JAN 30, 2016

Makes his

Bundesliga debut

in a 2-0 win against

Ingolstadt, coming

on as a second-half

substitute for Adrian

Ramos.

FEB 18, 2016

Plays in the Europa

League for the

first time, as a

second-half sub

in a 2-0 victory

over Porto.

FEB 21, 2016

Starts in the

Bundesliga for the

first time, in a 1-0

win against Bayer

Leverkusen.

MAR 29, 2016

Makes his USA debut

in a 4-0 win against

Guatemala as a sub

and becomes the

youngest American

to play a World

Cup qualifier.

Timeline

Youth team...

celebrating a goal

for Dortmund

Prospects...Pulisic

(no10) and Haji

Wright in action

for USA under-17s

against England

“He’s a player who never gives up.

He’s critical of himself and always

maintains his intensity. He’s

composed, he’s reliable. He plays

to his potential under pressure”

Ex-Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel