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Christian Pulisic is good enough to start for the USMNT at Copa America

Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

The Christian Pulisic hype train continues to roll on. Tales of the 17-year-old’s European showings continue to be spun throughout the U.S. soccer landscape, making the Borussia Dortmund prospect one of the most talked about players in the U.S. Men’s National Team pool.

Pulisic’s recent performances have earned many a call for USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to include the youngster in this summer’s Copa America lineup. And, if Pulisic is given the chance to show himself at this summer’s tournament, he will be doing so on merit, not just promise of future contributions.

The 17-year-old began making waves with his introduction to Borussia Dortmund’s first team earlier this year, but the past few weeks have shown exactly what Pulisic can offer to the USMNT with his current abilities. Playing in a wide position, Pulisic has netted two goals in his past three games while emerging as one of the Bundesliga’s premier talents.

Pulisic naturally fills a position of need for the U.S., who have had issues finding a fit at right wing since the World Cup. Ethan Finlay has shown well in limited minutes out wide, but Klinsmann has traditionally opted to push DeAndre Yedlin forward in an attempt to fluster defenses with pace. With Pulisic inserted on the wing, Yedlin can be pushed back to his traditional right back role, one in which he has flourished in recent weeks with relegation-threatened Sunderland.

From the wing, Pulisic provides something the USMNT has sorely lacked in recent months: creativity. Though only 17, Pulisic already possesses the vision of a player 10 years his elder, and has shown a knack for making the big play during his time with Borussia Dortmund.

Too often the U.S. has been left with a stranded striker up top, limited by service. With Pulisic in the lineup, the USMNT will feature a natural playmaker that has, to this point, shown the ability to get on the scoresheet himself.

Look back at Pulisic’s USMNT debut, a brief cameo against Guatemala, and you will see examples of Pulisic’s ability to fit in with the USMNT as assembled. With the U.S. up 3-0 and Clint Dempsey on the ball, Pulisic drifted into perfect positioning for a cutback pass. If given the pass, Pulisic would have had a legitimate chance at scoring his first USMNT goal, but Dempsey opted to instead to feed the more experienced Jozy Altidore for a shot into an open net.

On the club level, Pulisic’s most recent finish featured similar split-second awareness. Following a shot from outside the box, Pulisic reacted faster than the more experienced defender marking him, beating him to the ball for a simple tap-in.

The awareness to find space for both himself and others has been something the USMNT has lacked in recent months. Aside from the Guatemala rout, the U.S. has been unable to find that proper spacing, something that Pulisic can help provide.

While he has proven wise beyond his years, Pulisic’s technical abilities rival his reading of the game. His performances at the Under-17 Word Cup showed that Pulisic is at a level far above his age group, while his first Bundesliga goal showed a proficient first touch and the dribbling skill to create his own look.

Will a step into the USMNT’s starting XI be a step-up? Certainly, but Pulisic is more than prepared for the pressure that lies ahead. Pulisic plays in front of a fanbase that is arguably Germany’s most passionate, and that fanbase has, to this point, seen some remarkable things from one of their brightest prospects.

Throughout his tenure, Klinsmann has called for his players to face the challenge of European soccer head on. In addition, the German-born head coach  frequently insists on his players finding situations where they can meaningfully contribute while remaining in good form for the national team.

If Klinsmann’s view point is to remain consistent, Pulisic fits the bill now, not just in five years. If the goalscoring efforts of Bobby Wood and Fafa Picault in the 2. Bundesliga are enough to earn praise, Pulisic’s efforts in Germany’s top division are more than enough to justify a spot in the starting lineup.

He may only be 17, and it may still feel like more hype than substance to some, but there is enough tangible evidence now to believe he is ready to start for the USMNT in this summer’s Copa America.

Comments

  1. Just to clear something up for this blog (seems like a lot of people think they are smarter than everyone else). Klinsman does play people of position, not as bad a joked about, but he does. Read reputable sources, listen to soccer talk, etc. ex us team players constantly talk about it being a problem with JK. So while you discredit other people’s opinion that it’s a problem, just remember there are more informed opinions out there that are contrary to your own.

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  2. LOL. Sorry, something that made me laugh was the author using consistent viewpoint and JK together. At this point how can anyone use what JK says at face value? From what I have seen even his most fanatical followers have abandoned JK’s actual words, as they have been shown to have almost no meaning. As for Pulisic? Stay healthy young one. Just stay healthy.

    LD had depression and single handedly was US Soccer’s and MLS’s face for about a decade. He had a ton of pressure on him.
    Insecure, narrow minded, mentally limited fans love to take shots at him for not living up to their sad needs. Those are the folks that should be pitied and derided. Not LD. That’s why sports is like religion. It can be great, but also utterly devoid of reason and understanding.

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    • Looks like I snagged a fanboy.

      Landon was great for what he was. Good sized fish in a very, very small pond. I hope he lives the rest of his days with no regrets. I wish him no ill will whatsoever.

      But for me, as a US Soccer fan raised on the game and our team and being the first generation to begin to actually believe we can win a World Cup instead of just deriding the sport because we aren’t great at it yet, I am disappointed that he did not challenge himself to lead us closer to achieving that dream. He seemed to break out in 2002 as a young player full of potential and then just kind of stayed a decent player for a country without a lot of decent players. He had the kind of natural gifts that could have produced a world class player, our very own Robben, or Bergkamp, or even Messi, if he had only challenged himself against the best. Instead we got a guy who dominated MLS and CONCACAF and was just good enough to disappear against the powerhouse teams of the world, with the rare exception.

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      • not sure you can call somebody else a “fanboy” if you really think landon could’ve ever been as good as messi (or even robben or bergkamp) if only he had just applied himself.

  3. (mostly) off-topic: to say “Dempsey opted to instead to feed the more experienced Jozy Altidore for a shot into an open net” is incredibly flattering to dempsey. i honestly have no idea what he was trying to do there; if anything, it looked like he had no idea that he had two teammates open, and was about to f**k the whole thing up.

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      • hell, even saying “it might not have been a pass” is flattering. i can accept that he *might* have seen pulisic (although then you wonder why he didn’t just pass it to him), but there’s no way that ball was intended for jozy.

    • “Opted to pass to”! Now wy, Dempsey was trying to score himself and a poor touch gave the ball to Altidore. After the goal, you can see them laughing about it. Of course, Pulisic was wide open right there for Dempsey to pass to (it even looked like Dempsey saw him) and Dempsey did not.

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    • Expect a lot of selfish play from Dempsey in any national team appearances he makes until retirement. He’s after Landon’s record, and Klinsmann has challenged him to get it. Dempsey deserves to be our GOAT, but he needs the goals record to eclipse Donovan. The USA needs this to happen. Donovan was a lackluster standard bearer, which was disappointing because he had immense talent; he represented what the US Soccer program was. Dempsey is the example of what US Soccer needs to become; dogged, skilled, aggressive and confident.

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      • “Expect a lot of selfish play from Dempsey in any national team appearances he makes until retirement”

        “Dempsey deserves to be our GOAT”

        yeah, i’m having trouble reconciling those statements. one of the reasons it took so long for dempsey to get the captaincy was because he’s never really been a team player; he’s good enough to make up for that, and some might think his selfishness (individualism, whatever) makes him even more the prototypical american, but i think his play has always been a little too much about him, rather than the team.

  4. Pulisic is good, you have to be to start for a Bundesliga Team. Dortmund has had him at right midfield but in a few games had him listed as playing forward. So, no doubt, Klinsmann will have him playing center back real soon now.

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    • Dortmund usually plays a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 lineup and I think where he is listed depends on who is filling out the diagram for the various websites the players end up basically in the same space. He has played any of the three spots behind the forward either Aubameyang or Ramos, but usually on the outside.

      And really CB, that’s like the 3rd or 4th dramatically out of position joke on this thread alone plus a couple on the poll question yesterday, you’re better than that Bottlcaps, your better than that.

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      • i don’t really like the “out-of-position” jokes (the situation makes more annoyed than amused), but i predict they’ll die down around the same time klinsmann stops playing pin the tail on the donkey with his lineups.

      • Do the people making the out of position jokes really believe that Klinsmann habitually plays people obviously out of position? The only example that I have seen was Bedoya in the friendly against Brazil. It was a bit of an off the wall experiment, but there was no way we could compete with Brazil anyway, as the second half without Bedoya clearly showed.

      • @socceroo

        i don’t make those jokes, so i wouldn’t know what those people think, but i would assume that it’s what my good friend dloa calls “comedic hyperbole”. meaning bottlcaps doesn’t actually think klinsmann will play pulisic at centerback, but probably wouldn’t be shocked if he slots him into a box-to-box mid role.

        but if you think that bedoyavbrasil was the only time klinsmann got creative with his lineups (williams at right wing, kljestan at left back), then i don’t really know what to say.

        i actually think the bedoya example is very illustrative, because it highlights the nuance in the whole argument: to say bedoya was played “out-of-position” isn’t technically correct, because against the right competition, i think he could handle a deeper role. (just like–against the right competition–jones can handle an advanced role, and pulisic could even play centerback.) it’s a grey area, which is why there are smart people on both sides of the debate, and why people who were world-class players aren’t always the best judges in these cases.

      • Nate; When did Klejtsan play LB, not arguing just clearly had forgotten it. It actually makes more sense to me than Shea, but probably should have suggested he try it at the club level a few times first. Did he play any LB for Anderlecht?

      • now i’m second-guessing myself: i want to say it was against italy, or russia, maybe? that or i’m completely wrong; in that case, just substitute gringo torres for kljestan.

      • Nate- Might have found it Soccerway had him as a RB against Scottland in 2013, but it also had Evans and Bedoya in CM, Jones as CAM and Bradley on the wing so either the diagram is wrong or JK was on some sort of mind altering drug at the time.

      • And Aj subbed for Sasha in the 63 and Lichaj for Evans in the 72 so I think Evans was actually the RB with Bradley central and Sasha on the wing.

      • Nate found video of Scotland match Evans was definitely at RB with Sasha in RM. Still not saying it didn’t happen, but I couldn’t find it.

      • yeah, after spending way too much time re-watching friendly footage, i was thinking of the italy game. sacha was subbed in for shea in the 73rd, and played left back as we bunkered with 5 in the back.

  5. IMHO, there are only three players presently on the USMNT who have skills in the same ballpark as Pulisic–Dempsey, Bradley and Johnson. The simple question, then, is how can Pulisic be rationally left out of the starting 11?

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      • I had the same thought – how many other could-have-been-Pulisics are there who had the same level of talent at age 15 but lacked the citizenship papers needed to get into one of the best developmental environments in the world?

        The US player pipeline is at a massive disadvantage as long as it’s so difficult for our best teenagers to live where the best clubs in the world are.

      • Has only been a few years I believe that FIFA has had the protections in place for teenage players so I don’t know that its been that many. Bottom line still is that MLS needs to get better at their academy systems. Not a criticism they haven’t been around very long, just a statement.

      • South Americans without European passports can’t go to Europe until they are 18 either but somehow they still produce plenty of great players. We can’t rely on that excuse. We need to continue improving, and pouring more resources into, our development system.

    • Well put. I’m not sure Bradley has shown that level of skill for a while, but Dempsey and Johnson are definitely on a different level, and I think Pulisic is right there with them.

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  6. Pulisic definitely deserves a roster spot…as far as starting goes though, let’s please hold off on that talk for now. He’s a kid. Literally.

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  7. The reactions to this suggestion perfectly typify why the US is so far behind the curve of developing high quality players.

    People raised around successful leagues or in countries with successful national teams will know that if a player is special, you see it very young. This isn’t a game where you suddenly pick up better physical tools and develop honed instincts at the age of 25. Most top scouts believe players are essentially developed to their potential at 18-20, and they only rise beyond that as they get more experience and chemistry with a particular set of players. And physically speaking the tendency is to get slower, not faster as you age. It is vital to get these kids involved soon, so that when they are 20 they will have developed chemistry with the rest of the squad. Stringing him along this slow path when he’s already ahead of his peers in both technical skill and speed of thought will hurt the team and the player.

    In Pulisic’s case, he’s got obvious talent. I’d say in an open competition he could win 2 different starting roles. He wouldn’t need to be given anything. His ideal role would be the advanced midfielder/diamond tip role that Bradley has been shoehorned into, but he would also immediately be our best wing midfielder on either the left or right (he can swap sides like most good players can). He has better touch on his short passes than Bradley does, has better pace, and makes better quick, anticipatory runs to open up lanes for his teammates. Bradley has always naturally drifted back into the deep lying distributor role, or the role Klinsmann shoehorns Mix and Beckerman into depending on how he wants to shape the defense.

    That said, expect Klinsmann to play him at left back, destroyer, or something equally ridiculous.

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      • ZZ hadn’t earned a national team spot until his 20s, but he was developed at the professional level long before that. His legendary status was not due to his being developed by the French national team, but by a very long club career that began at age 14 (first team, first division pro debut at 16) and led him to play for some of the world’s best clubs alongside the world’s best players.

        Not entirely comparable to a player like Pulisic in a much more shallow pool and much less experienced at the club level. ZZ absolutely did become a better player with experience and the chance to develop chemistry with his teammates, but his physical and mental abilities didn’t leap very much at all from his club debut to his international debut. Don’t conflate his development with his accomplishments.

        And when I talk about development, I’m mostly talking about the individual awareness, vision, and feel for the game that you learn as a young player. A guy like Pulisic is a perfect example of how a young player can be more developed in this way at a young age than players who are older than he is due to training at much higher levels at a younger age.

  8. Slow down. I absolutely agree he should be in camp and should be permitted to fight for a role, even a starting role. But it’s highly speculative to put him in the starting lineup on the back of a small number of albeit quality starts in the Bundesliga. Let’s remember that there are players like Nagbe and Zusi, in addition to those mentioned above, that are in the mix for a starting berth on the right. Zusi had a poor year last year, but has looked quite sharp recently and was great against Guatemala. Bedoya is a proven commodity and a seasoned pro. (I’m not a huge Zardes fan.} On balance, my opinion is that he does not deserve a starting role yet. Let’s give him some time.

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    • Hehe: “His performances have been noted by New York City sporting director Claudio Reyna who in turn is understood to have alerted Manchester City.”

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  9. The article makes sense when you look at it as the website’s reaction to the poll question yesterday (I believe they’ve done this with other poll questions too not just the CP one). This would be the third Pulisic feature since Saturday which seems high, but let’s face it Galaxy had six articles in a day and half after beating Real Salt Lake.

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  10. As stated in the article Pulisic didnt start to feature consistently with the senior team at Dortmund until after the start of the new year so you would have to think he doesn’t have nearly the wear on his legs that players who played from the beginning of the season do and he also was used off the bench for most of his minutes until as of late, where he has been given starting minutes. He’s 17, so he’ll be able to run all day and night but i think we still need to watch putting too much on his plate too early. If i had to bet, he’ll be subbed into games starting out(unless he looks undeniably better than everyone else in his position) and slowly worked into the rotation although JK has shown he’s not scared to put a younger player into the fire from the get go. Either way it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used and what impact he will have on the team.

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  11. Pulisic will be at German Cup for the P.Rico match, and if things hold Omar, Villafana, Castillo, Alvarado will be in Liga Mx semis with yarbrough’s team in 5th and every MLS team I believe is in action that weekend will we have enough players? Bornstein might get his chance at LB yet.

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  12. the “hype train” would be if we’re saying pulisic is for sure going to be an international superstar. saying he should be given a chance at the copa america isn’t hype at all–it’s simply recognizing his current level of play.

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    • I said from the beginning he should be given a chance. This article is saying he needs to start–big difference. I just looked it up. Now admittedly the two national teams are much better than the US, but both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t play for their national teams until they were 18 and played in a couple of friendlies before they started. And these are arguably two of the best players in history. This article also talks about his vision and technical ability in terms that seem awe struck. Maybe we have different definitions, but it sounds like hype to me.

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      • No, but maybe a better comparison is Landon Donovan who started for the US as an 18 year old at the 2002 WC. If we believe Pulisic is Landon’s caliber of player at 18, then maybe he should be starting.

      • LD got his first cap and goal at 18, qualifying at 19 and WC at 20, not criticizing just trying to be accurate. Didn’t get his first Bundesliga start until 22, first European top division goal at 29.

      • “I said from the beginning he should be given a chance. This article is saying he needs to start–big difference.”

        i guess my point is that, if given the chance, i believe he’s good enough to start, considering our other natural options (or lack thereof) at wing. from the poll–and some comments–the other day, the impression i got is that some people are opposed to starting him just because of his age, which i completely disagree with, and which would not be “giving him a chance”.

        and in terms of his “vision and technical ability”, i was assuming tolmich et al were just comparing pulisic to other americans; in that case, he really is already on a high level. if anything, i’m a little concerned with his tendency to give the ball away too easily, but that’s often an accepted risk with attacking wingers.

    • It does not matter in the final third, if you do not receive the ball going forward! If the USMNT cannot move the ball out of the defensive third and move it into the midfield. Skilled wide midfielders and strikers are eliminated from any attack because they do not receive the ball, with the exception of using Altidore as a target guy and play low percentage second balls.
      Pulisic and every other offensive midfielder and forwards are dependent on a midfield that can get over the ball and connect into the offensive third! I understand the need for interchange between wings and backs but if a guy like Pulisic is chasing the game on the US side of midfield he is no different then Bedoya

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  13. Maybe he will be a superstar, but this hype is way over the top. I say bring him in and put him on the roster, but any more than that you have to see how well he stacks up compared to other players. Not that long ago Nagbe and Finlay were going to be our saviors, now they seem to be after thoughts because of Pulisic.

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    • I don’t think anyone ever believed those guys to be saviors. However more depth and more competition for spots in the team I see as a good thing. One superstar isn’t what makes a team. However when you can make a small upgrade in each spot it adds up to better performances.

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    • Not sure anyone was anointing Finlay as a savior at RW. He has shown ok, but nothing outstanding. Nagbe plays a different position on the pitch completely, so the comparison doesn’t stack up that well. I’d still love to find a way to get Nagbe on the pitch more, but I suspect that will have to wait until Dempsey takes more of a back seat.

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      • Kind of funny with the video highlight Pulisic keeps moving into open space and Dempsey boggs down holding onto the ball too long. Not Dempsey is to blame with his striker mentality of every time he touches the ball he wants to score but he is not that great as a distributor. In the video Altidore takes Dempseys lemons and makes lemonade. When a quick wide pass to Pulisic is a one touch finish. Nagbe at the 10 or 6 spot makes that pass

    • So the hype train is too much because we’re discussing starting a guy who is performing well at Borussia freakin Dortmund over stalwarts like Finlay, Zusi and Zardes?

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    • No this kid has been tearing it up at every place he has been whether U15s, U17s, His US club sides, Dortmund U17 and Dortmund U19 and now Dortmund senior side. Everywhere he goes he succeeds. The hype is warranted. You can see it in just the runs he makes let alone his technical skills and burst on the ball.

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      • One thing folks are not mentioning is physically he fits in on the pitch against grown men. Adu, Green, Zelalem, etc still looked like boys on the pitch.

    • gary if you watch him play and ignore his age, you will realize he is one of our five best players already. he gets decent playing time and starts occasionally for one of the 10 best teams in the world. Based on ability, he should be starting this game.

      Ps, it has been written that the Germans are more excited about him than the Americans. It’s not hype….

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  14. good article Ryan. agreed 100% this kid is ready for the international level and should be a valuable addition to the USMNT attack. everyone needs to lay off the Green, Donovan, Adu, etc comparisons – every individual is unique person with their own learning curves, ability levels, etc. but if I may, most young kids in this position have the skill and abilities but need time to learn the positioning and pace of high level games, every time I watch Pulisic I am impressed by his intelligence and maturity, like Ryan adds in this article.

    my only concern is going directly from the Bundesliga season (last game May 21) directly into Copa prep a good idea? Most other players will have a week or two between league seasons and the international games.. young guy should be able to do it no problem – but I am sure his club coaching staff and the national team staff are debating the long term effects of this decision..

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    • The US U-19 team which has a lot of guys CP played with at U-17 WC are playing 4 games in 5 days in Slovakia right now. Granted there is no travel, and their seasons with club teams probably haven’t been as heavy, but CP is probable able physically to handle this better than the other guys.

      The whole idea of bringing in the European and Mexican players on May 15th (-CP because of German Cup and any LigaMx based players in playoffs) is so that they don’t have a layoff to then recover from. Better to play through than take a couple weeks off and try to regain.

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      • I think the idea that hype has this huge effect is overstated. Adu flopped because he wasn’t as good as people thought. Green seems to be headed that way too. LD disappointed some because he stayed in MLS but he’s the best player we’ve ever produced. Hopefully Pulisic (and others) will pass him some day.

      • Adu and Donovan’s European struggles are actually similar, Landon was just smart enough to not keep banging his head against the wall and came back to MLS, each time. Freddy just kept chasing it in Europe for far too long. Both Adu and LD had problems when they weren’t starters, couldn’t handle not being the man which happens to a lot of athletes in all sports. LD finally had success with Everton because with all their injuries he was thrust into the line up almost right away. If he had found a situation like that earlier I think he could have been a solid European player for many years.

        Green I’m not sure about yet I think we need to see where he goes next his loan to Hamburg wasn’t much different than Bradley to Aston Villa.

    • Sorry but such comparisons are the nature of mature soccer countries, where the ability to produce young talent of that quality that early, and fans educated enough to see what they have, can coincide.

      You want to roll that back you have to roll back the clock to when we routinely used college kids or the fans were uninformed what was coming up the pike, and yeah, at that point, we could only trust what we saw (and hopefully more than once) on the Nats. But in the era of the internet and a more educated soccer consumer and better youth training for our pipeline players, part of the test of the players will be whether they continue to grow or fizzle at the youth to senior jump.

      I think it’s far more important that the players find smart homes where they will play, than the hype concerns. Dortmund works for Pulisic and furthers his career because they play him. Green goes to BM and suffers the opposite, he rots. Some of it is luck and some is whether you have the body to play adult soccer and some of it is whether you find the right homes at key points in your development.

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    • Pulisic is still a teenager. He presently is playing well for a team that is very strong and on which he has the luxury of being surrounded by very good-experienced adults. So far he has not been called upon to be leader at Dortmund, but he was with the US U-17s. So much goes into being an outstanding professional soccer, talent, skill, tactical awareness, strength, ability to play for teammates, ability to lead, heart, and thick skin for when the criticisms come (and they will). Any player lacking even one of these will be limited by that factor.

      So far Pulisic has done more than anyone would have hoped, he is young and will get stronger physically. I guess we are all waiting to see how he handles the psychological side of stuff when things get difficult for him.

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  15. Well if the other option is an out of position Yedlin in midfield (forcing us to play someone else out of position at right back) then it seems like a no-brainer to start Pulisic.

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    • Pulisic up until this year has always played centrally and played centrally in a few of his early appearances, so is he out of position at wing?

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      • no; although he could play in an advanced central role in a pinch, i think his best position right now is on the wings.

      • I don’t think so either, but since so many complain about people being played out of position and then do the same when it fits their line up idea I thought I’d bring it up. I would actually like to see Pulisic central against St. V&G this fall when they put 9 guys in the box.

    • I only mentioned the wing because that’s where the article suggests playing him. And I’ve never said players can’t play different positions. Plenty can. But if DeAndre Yedlin is the best right-sided midfielder in our player pool, we have some problems.

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  16. Manchester Evening News stated today that Man Cuty and Real Madrid are both tracking our young Mr. Pulisic. I don’t know how much there is to that but it’s still a pretty big compliment and certainly something to be excited about for the future.

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    • Read a story about Liverpool interest as well, but they were looking at several years down the road, I would think Man U and Real Madrid would be the same.

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    • Doesn’t surprise me, but I’m sure all the big clubs track all promising youngsters rising at the second tier clubs. If Pulisic is truly world class his track would be, show well against some of the best in the World at Copa America, have full year of being one of Dortmund’s best players as a starter, show well in Russia, and Dortmond to sell him to a top tier club either that summer or the next for 50+ million.

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      • I wouldn’t consider Dortmund a second-tier club. Certainly not if we are considering Liverpool a “first-tier” club.

  17. Obviously.

    The starting wingers we’ve been trotting out lately have been Gyasi Zardes (Mr. worst touch ever) and Ale Bedoya (runs around forever and never really impacts the game all that much)

    Pulisic in his limited time has shown he can impact the game much much more substantially than either of these two.

    FJ on the left
    Pulisic on the right

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    • FYI, Bedoya at Nantes this year has scored 4 goals in 21 games in all competitions. So far this year Zardes has scored 4 goals in 11 games, the second highest among American players in the league. Wondo has 7 goals, but 2 of those are PK’s, so in the run of play it is Zardes 4 goals and Wondo 5. Zardes last goal was a goal of the week caliber score. BTW, Zardes scored his 4 goals off of 14 shots, Wondo has his 5 off of 22 shots.

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      • Those stats are a little misleading as almost all of those goals come from Zardes when playing at striker, Bedoya goals really come when played central just under the striker. I don’t think you really see the same production from either when at wide midfield.

      • That should be 4 goals in 7 games. My mistake. Jack, I thought people here would know what positions they play. I’m providing information, no making comparisons.

      • Gary Page: “I’m providing information, no [sic] making comparisons.”

        You say that but your whole comment reads like a comparison between Zardes and Bedoya, and reading between the lines you favor Zardes, which is fine.

        For the record, both of you (HTM and Gary) can be correct. Zardes can be and is productive for the Galaxy, and Zardes definitely has a bad first-touch. Bedoya is productive for Nantes, and definitely runs around all game uselessly and without impact for the USMNT.

      • DLOA, yes after reading it back again I now agree with Gary’s original stance that he was not making a comparison between the players. I still disagree though that Gary’s stats disprove HTM’s comments about Zardes and Bedoya. HTM was obviously hyperbolic with his comments, but I agree with the (Zardes=bad first touch/not a winger and Bedoya=largely inefective with USMNT). Like I said, both Gary and HTM can be correct at the same time.

    • I know there is a glorious hype train associated with CA, but with our struggles and the many holes we need to fill, we should use the tournament as a long tryout camp, sprinkled with a few veterans to build around, and then test new options under fire.

      This is how we used the 2007 CA and it eventually built to the 2010 WC where we advanced. Or you can treat this as another status quo defense, run out the same basic team premised on “winning” (which is not happening with a team that can’t beat Mexico or even Guatemala half the time, and we’ll see what happens rest of the cycle. This is a rare chance to play games that count and camp players for a long time and see what works, without it actually affecting qualifying.

      So I’d like to see every Green, Pulisic, et al. we have around.

      Reply
      • I would like to see some younger or less used players as well, especially CP. However, we also won the Gold Cup in 2007 four days before beginning the Copa. Most of the players from the Copa team that were in South Africa had also been on the Gold Cup team.

  18. You think it’s worth going to the world cup in Russia? It’s going to be more expensive than Brazil right? I had an unreal time in Brazil and spent as much without being limited and it still cost me under $5,000. How much will Russia be do you think?

    Reply

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