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Borussia Dortmund’s Tuchel praises Pulisic, explains lack of playing time

 

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Christian Pulisic is the name on everyone’s lips these days, including his coach Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking ahead of Dortmund’s match against Red Bull Leipzig (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports GO), Tuchel praised the young American and explained that his late arrival after the Copa America Centenario is the reason why Pulisic has not played in the early stages of the season.

Pulisic is coming off an impressive showing with the U.S. Men’s National Team against Trinidad & Tobago in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, recording one assist in the 4-0 victory in Jacksonville. He also played a major role in setting up the other three goals. Prior to that, the 17-year-old fired two goals of his own while adding an assist in a 6-0 rout of St. Vincent & The Grenadines.

“We’ll build on Pulisic,” Tuechel said at a press conference. “He knows that he has our trust. He didn’t play nine games last year so we can pat ourselves on the back.”

“We are pleased that Pulisic was successful when he played for the United States,” he added. “This just confirmed his outstanding talent.”

The attacker made 12 appearances in all competitions for BVB last season, scoring two goals while becoming the youngest non-German player to strike in a Bundesliga match.

What do you think of Tuchel’s comments? What do you expect from Pulisic going forward?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I read some more of this transcript. Tuchel basically said “we know he’s good because we played him, but scoring in CONCACAF isn’t helping his cause at all”. He did not seem very effusive in his praise except where it concerned how good the club was at identifying talent.

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  2. I don’t know what else people expect. Top teams in Europe stack every position they can with talent. If he plays it will confirm he was good enough to break through a crowded lineup, and if he’s on the bench it will confirm that he’s considered one or two steps away from breaking through. We only need to worry when he is not dressing and not playing in training.

    We didn’t anoint Pulisic because we read about him or saw a TV ad, or because we all watched him play match after match. We anointed him because he was special enough to get on the field alongside world class players and looked every bit as confident and skilled as they did. Too many US supporters just expect players to jump to a world class level and play constantly. I think it’s selfish, we want to see our players play so we can share in their successes, but at the same time we should remember that careers in this game are not decided over a few months when you’re a teenager.

    I don’t believe in the cautious approach. I’m a fan so I’m watching the players and I can just tell you that in the 25 years I’ve been watching US soccer I have never seen a player do what Pulisic can the way Pulisic does. He’ll do some things that remind me of our best players, but he also does things they can’t or never did and he’s doing it before he’s even 18 years old. Get excited or find a new hobby because you’re missing out.

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  3. Honestly, with the injury history of Reus and the amount of competitions BVB should go deep in (Champs League, German Cup), he’ll get his chance. I think the patience is asked regarding his age, but also because it’s a long season and he’ll be counted on at some point.

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    • i think if he hadn’t gotten the games he did last season, no explanation would be necessary. after all, there’s a difference between playing for the usmnt and playing for borussia dortmund (and tuchel came right out and said that).

      but the consensus is that pulisic looked good in his games for dortmund, and so — although he’s still in a very good situation for any 18-year-old — i can understand why he might be disappointed to simply “be counted on at some point” this season. he’s certainly not short on confidence.

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  4. I don’t want to jinx this or unnecessarily hype him. However, this kid is sick and with his play these last 2 games, it’s hard not to. The real question is how well will he do against Mexico! If he can prove it in that game, the hype train may come to a screeching halt.

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    • Alex – There is a huge difference in the competition level between the German 1st division and the lower levels of CONCACAF (St. Vincent and T&T). Don’t be surprised if Pulisic doesn’t get the starts during the November Qualifiers against Mexico & Costa Rica. I fully expect JK to revert back to more experienced players for these 2 matches….IMO we’ll see Jones, Bradley, & Bedoya with either Dempsey or Kljestan/Nagbe at the top of the diamond.

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      • Lost in Space, let’s see how well he does with Dourtmound. If he earns a consistent starting spot, things might change… You could argue that 17 is too young but he is the type of player that as of what makes the whole team better NOW. If he can do this against a quality team like Mexico, that is yet to be seen. However, we got to start him against Mexico someday.. why not at the Hex?

  5. Nice words from the manager, probably trying to calm the Pulisic camp that at least according to rumor were worried about playing time. It doesn’t change that they still went out and spent a lot of money on his position. Tuchel is a manager that plays a lot of players though.

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