Top Stories

SBI Reader Poll: What will Pulisic’s role be at Copa America?

Christian-Pulisic-Dortmund-Getty-1

The hype train continues to roll for Christian Pulisic, who scored his second German Bundesliga goal in as many games for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Due to his recent goal-scoring performances — especially playing for one of Germany’s and Europe’s top sides — many U.S. Men’s National Team supporters are wondering what his role will be this summer as the U.S. competes in the Copa America Centenario.

Pulisic made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund in January, and he has been given plenty of minutes to shine for his side since then. The 17-year-old attacker from Hershey, Pennsylvania, has made eight league appearances and three UEFA Europa League appearances for Dortmund this year.

He earned his first USMNT cap in a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala in March, cap-tying him to the U.S. He came on as a late substitute in that 4-0 win on March 29, but he looked comfortable playing with and against players much, much older than himself.

He has continued to prove that through his appearances for Dortmund. Pulisic has started three games and scored his first and second Bundesliga goals since making his USMNT debut. The pressure of playing for his country at the young age of 17 has apparently not disrupted his play for his club team.

USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has also previously given young players chances to play in big moments. For example, DeAndre Yedlin and Julian Green were surprise inclusions on Klinsmann’s World Cup roster in 2014, but they each played important minutes for the team in high-pressure situations. The U.S. coach also recently said Pulisic was strengthening his case for inclusion in the USMNT’s Copa America roster.

Despite Klinsmann’s history of using young players in big matches and Pulisic’s recent form for Dortmund, some USMNT supporters will say it is still too early to use the 17-year-old midfielder in the Copa America this summer. Freddy Adu, as an example, was dubbed the “next Pele” early in his career. Adu signed an MLS contract at the age of 14, but he did not live up to the high expectations set for him. The U.S. supporters who have followed Adu’s career do not want to see those same high expectations crush another American prospect’s career.

With all that in mind, here is the SBI Question of the Day: What will Pulisic’s USMNT role be at the Copa America?

Cast your vote here, and feel free to share your vote, and reasoning, in the comments section below.

[polldaddy poll=9395304]

Comments

  1. The best result for pulisic would be to get quality minutes and preform well. Go into next season as The starter, have a great year through out and be the first American to be looking of a 40 million plus transfer fee as BVB sells him to a legit big club.

    Reply
  2. I fully expect Pulisic to be a part of the squad for the Copa. The reality of the matter is that his competition for a wide midfield/forward spot are not better than he is. The only real advantage that those he’s competing with (Bedoya, Zusi, Zardes, Finlay, etc….) are their familiarity/chemistry with the rest of the team. It will take Pulisic some time to develop the chemistry needed for him to be his most effective.
    I believe that he’ll get a fair chunk of minutes in the first friendly against PR (30-45 minutes) since there won’t be any MLS players available. In the next 2 friendlies his minutes will dip to roughly 20 per game. Once group play starts his time on the field will depend upon the opponent, and how the games play out. I’m guessing a Cameo in the first (10-20 min), 20-30 minutes in the 2nd against CR, than either another cameo (if we look to be advancing) or possibly a start (if we’re already knocked out or have locked up advancement).

    Reply
    • Pulisic won’t be with the US team for the first friendly because of the German Cup Final but he’ll have the last 2 friendlies to show what he can do and how he plays with the rest of the team. It’ll be intersting to see if Fafa Picault gets an invite to camp since we’ll see mostly european and mexican based players! I like what ive seen from him and if he is called in he could open some eyes and make it interesting before the final Copa roster is submitted

      Reply
  3. O yeah and about Pulisic, I really hope those Liverpool Rumors arent true. He is much better suited at Dortmund then Liverpool. I’m a liverpool fan too! ha

    Reply
  4. I havent fully given up on Julian Green yet. He is stuck at a star studded Munich team and cant crack the first team. He HAS to move this summer to a club where he can get first team minutes. Then I believe he will start to become the player we have all expected. I havent given up. I will take a player that has been brought up in a German academy over a player in an MLS academy every day of the week. Yes I dont have any trust in the MLS.

    Reply
    • Yedlin was an MLS academy product. So is Acosta (who is the best prospect for areplacement for beckerman). MLS academies are basically 10 year old or younger. They are just starting to produce true professionals. In 20 years most Americans playing professionally will have touched an MLS academy during their youth.

      Reply
  5. depending on the formation, he should start every game he can. i believe he’s good enough right now that we should be making a place for him on the field.

    and to say “The U.S. supporters who have followed Adu’s career do not want to see those same high expectations crush another American prospect’s career” is a nonsensical argument. “high expectations” did not crush adu’s career. the lack of a disciplined well-rounded game coupled with high salary demands did far more damage to his international career than some morons calling him the next pele.

    Reply
    • You are forgetting something. Pulisic has played all of 10 minutes with the national team and had very little practice time before that. I’m guessing that most of the players who are called in with have both a fair amount of practice time and probably at least half a dozen caps. I think you want to integrate him into the team over time, not throw him out there as a starter without having played with a lot of the US players before. Also, that seems to be JK’s m.o. Watching the Man City vs. Real Madrid game today, it was a beautiful thing to watch how both teams passed it around and almost always found an open man because they played together so seamlessly as a team.

      Reply
      • if this copa america wasn’t a series of glorified friendlies, i’d agree, but we really have nothing to lose with throwing a couple players out there with the big boys just to see what happens. (on that note, i’d like to see how villafana does with some extended minutes as well; maybe not on the same wing as pulisic, though.)

        “Watching the Man City vs. Real Madrid game today, it was a beautiful thing to watch how both teams passed it around”

        sarcasm? that was an awful game, and one thing that surprised me was how modric, silva, and de bruyne were the only players on either team who could regularly string together multiple passes.

  6. Good to see all the excitement over him.
    Like everyone, I hope he hits it out of the park when he has a chance.

    Reply
  7. 30 minutes in Game 1, start him in Game 2 and don’t look back. Its not hype when you are producing for the second place team in the Bundesliga. This is our pre-2018 international tournament. Get him that experience. Let him build chemistry outside the reality of WC qualifying. Do we have anyone materially better at his position?

    Reply
  8. I’ve watched a lot of his minutes with Dortmund and the thing that really grabs you is how he doesn’t look out of place at all. Every minute he’s on the field he’s moving with purpose, making quick and confident decisions with the ball. If he makes a mistake, he reacts quickly to rectify it. He doesn’t get physically or mentally bullied out of games. You would just never think this kid is in his teens if you didn’t know who he was. This is no guarantee that he’ll turn into a world class player, of course. But this isn’t like Adu or Green or any other past situation. This kid is on another level, and he’s proving it in the dang Bundesliga.

    I totally understand the people preaching caution – that’s absolutely the right default approach. But the kid has earned his way into these starts for Dortmund. Nothing was handed to him – he’s demanding more minutes by how effective his play is. There’s nothing I can see that suggests he can’t be an impact player for the US right away. Obviously you want to introduce him gradually the way Dortmund did, but I can absolutely see him being an impact sub by the time the Copa is over.

    Reply
    • I agree with your assessment. I also think it is telling how his teammates interact with him. They are not hesitant to play the ball to him in tight spaces and do not at all seem like they are worried about having to cover for his mistakes.

      Also, he is playing some at both RW and LW and was taking all the corners in the game he got his first goal. The kid is legit. He plays with pace, has good technical skills, puts dangerous balls in the box, and seems to be versatile. He reminds me of Ribery because he can take defenders on and also can send in cross after cross after cross. I’m quite excited about his potential.

      Reply
  9. Neymar didn’t make the 2010 world cup roster, and he was still touted as one of the most exciting young players in the world. I think it’s ok to not even have Pulisic in the conversation for becoming a national team member yet. That’s not too crazy of a think to say right?

    Reply
    • A little easier for Brazil though, and I think most Brazilian fans would say it was a mistake when you look at the forwards they did take and their quarterfinal exit.

      Reply
      • Yeah but I still think there’s not a pressing need to bring in a 17 year old into the camp. I wish I could tell you if most 17 year old club rotation players often get called in and see national team minutes, but I can’t name anyone besides the obvious big names.

        Hey side note, where Gooch at?

    • I think you are looking at this all the wrong way… this whole, should he come to camp… should he play… ABSO-F*CKING-loutley is the correct answer. Here is the thing, people don’t seem to get it… soccer is hard. a 17 year old doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know that he can’t beat Messi… or James. He just runs out and plays. And if he is good and has balls then he beats James and Messi, and builds confidence. By 23, you have learned that you can’t beat those guys… so by the time you get to the field… you have already lost. Why does no one understand this? oh, boo hoo… Green never played before… neither did Yedlin, and Brooks was a pup who barely got the starting job at his club.

      The point here is that if you want to win tournaments, you bring young kids, who don’t know that they aren’t supposed to win… yeah, flank them with some stalwarts… but bring youth. JK got it then, he gets it now. LD, he know how good he was, and that he couldn’t play with certain guys… he ALWAYS folded when he played against top talent (NOTA BENE: I am not saying he folded on the big stage… if the stage was big, but the talent wasn’t he was fine). So JK brought youth, and BTW, 2 goals and a premier league/Bundesliga defender later is pretty solid evidence he was right.

      Where he was probably wrong was in bringing Davis and Wondo over Landon. I would nevber have made that choice… (old guys vs. old guys, I probably would have gone with the experienced hand…) but then again, I wasn’t in camp and I never coached Landon previously. I have no idea whether he got beat out or not…

      Anyway, how are we still Fing talking about Landon? That was 2 years ago. Now I can look forward to Miazga, Pulisic, Wood, Morris, Yedlin and Brooks. Do you guys realize that is half a team of U-23s with real talent? Shit, 02 was the last time we had anything close to that.

      Reply
  10. hype: promote or publicize (a product or idea) intensively, often exaggerating its importance or benefits.

    Not so sure this applies.

    The vast majority of the coverage and commentary on this kid has been very measured, bordering on overly restrained. Given some of the attention given kids in the past- I get it and prefer being measured to over the top. That said, what he has accomplished at an early age and his game deserve noting… it IS ok to praise when it is merited.

    I’d like to see him get his feet wet in the Copa. Wouldn’t doubt it if he shines. Honestly- it’s not like the competition, the quality of his team mate nor the pressures are a great leap above where he now sits and seems comfortable enough.

    Reply
  11. Could we just let him develop with his club for a year before we throw another youngster into the international grind? You know, show some patience and long-term thinking for once. Not even Messi could help us win the Copa right now. If Pulisic keeps it up, look at integrating him into the World Cup 2018 squad.

    Reply
  12. Gotta love the optimism of US fans however Copa America isn’t like the gold cup. I expect to see him feature but to have a major role seems like a stretch. Perhaps I’m being cautious but Pulisic has spent one camp with the team it would be quite the accomplishment if he earned a starting role that quickly.

    Reply
  13. There really isn’t time for a person to earn a roster spot in camp, maybe 3 days of training with half the team before rosters are due on May 23, MLS players will just be arriving at that time. That’s why the coaching staff have been all over watching players.

    Reply
  14. He’ll quite possibly start against Puerto Rico since there will be no MLS-based players in camp yet, so really he’s in the driver’s seat and it’ll all depend on how he performs in the friendlies.

    Reply
  15. Remember there are no sacred cows on this team. He needs to earn his spot just like Green did in 2014.

    In all honestly I would not mind him either making the team or not. Would love to see him called in to camp to see if he can fight for a spot.

    Reply
    • I agree except that Green didn’t earn anything. Pulisic already has more minutes/goals etc. for his club’s first team than Green does.

      Reply
      • Were you in the training sessions? Watch all of his games in the Regionalia? Break down film from his friendly appearances? To say he didn’t earn anything is a huge exaggeration just like your theory that his goal is meaningless because he didn’t hit it cleanly.

        You are right that you can’t compare Pulisic to any American before him because he doesn’t fit, but you don’t need to rehash your Green bashing to say that. The only person that would even come close is Rossi and he doesn’t really count because he choose Italy.

      • Jack- not having seen him play since the U23 friendlies with Brazil, its hard to be definitive. However, he’s only scored in one game since December so I would guess no. I think JK has taken the let’s leave him alone and let him just play soccer again after the hype train caught him after the WC and with his transfer to Hamburg. I’m sure Klinsman and his people have been in contact with Pep and his staff and know more of where he is at than any of us do.

      • Got it Johnny – so I’ll expect that you’ll never post any opinion ever about the game of soccer because you aren’t in training sessions, breaking down game film etc. Personally I don’t think those are prerequisites to posting an opinion on a message board so I’ll still post my opinions. My opinion is that someone playing 4th division soccer is not good enough for the USMNT and hasn’t earned a spot on the the USMNT roster for any game, let alone the World Cup.

        I’m sure if anyone posts pro JK opinions you’ll also tell them to shut up because they’re not properly qualified.

      • You have every right to your opinion that you don’t think Green is good, I’m just disputing your unearned comment which I or anyone else has the right to do. You are basing your unearned comments on how he played after the WC not leading up to it and that he can’t beat out Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Mario Gotze, and Thomas Muller. There is not an American on our current roster, Pulisic included, that would break into that roster.

        By your logic Morris shouldn’t have been playing for the Nats either. As far as I know no one on this board was at the National team camp in 2014 or any of the training sessions before friendlies during that year so I don’t know how Green stacked up against say Zusi, Davis, Yedlin, or Donovan.

      • Green is also only 20 and will be 21 this summer. Let’s give him a chance at somewhere other Bayern, hope the AC Milan rumors are true and judge him after that.

      • What a tired excuse. He can’t beat out Bayern players etc. He couldn’t get in the team at Hamburg either and apparently nobody in the 1. or 2. Bundesliga wanted him on loan this season so he’s cooling his heals in the 4th division. Again. He hadn’t even earned the right to be in the pre-world cup camp. He had done nothing above fourth division level other than a two minute cameo for Bayern’s first team in a meaningless game. Two years later, he’s still hasn’t done anything. Pulisic has already accomplished more than Green and he’s three plus years younger.

      • “You are basing your unearned comments on how he played after the WC not leading up to it”

        Have to disagree with you on this comment Razor.

        Leading up to the 2014 World Cup, the only experience on Green’s resume was an unimpressive and overmatched 20 minutes against Mexico in a friendly, a good season in the 4th division of the Bundesliga and some training sessions with the USMNT. One of the (if not THE) least impressive resumes for a player selected to represent any national team in any recent World Cup.

        Since the World Cup, not only has Green not been able to beat out the players you mentioned (Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Mario Gotze, and Thomas Muller), but he also has not been able to beat out players like Mario Rodriguez, Jerome Kieswetter, Paul Arriola, and Fatai Alashe. All good prospects, but certainly not yet USMNT caliber players.

        There is no evidence of any sustained quality, either before or after the 2014 WC to support the statement that Julian Green “earned” a place on the 2014 WC team.

      • Let’s say this though if Klinsman had brought Donovan instead of Wondo or Brad Davis, would we even talk about Green. I think most likely no. You’d say 22nd guy on the roster got in a good 15 minutes and scored a goal. But, because people continue to believe he took LD’s spot, when Klinsman had said he viewed Donovan as a forward so really it was AJ or Wondo that took his spot, people have to bash Green.

      • SoccerDad- As I said based on how he has played over the last three months I wouldn’t put him on the roster either. He did routinely beat out Rodriguez, Arriola, and Kiesewetter last Summer for the U23s and in the fall friendlies in Brazil. I believed it was said he had an illness during the Olympic qualifiers in March, so again would he have played over them don’t know he was on the bench for the first game, but we don’t know what his fitness level was.

        You could also say an unimpressive and overmatched 30 minutes for Donovan in that game against Mexico too.

      • True. The fact JK took this scrub over the best player in US history and that JK had a longstanding grudge against LD does make people more upset. And understandably so. But players like Davis and Wondo had done far more to “earn” a world cup spot than Green had so it also would have been ridiculous to leave either of those players at home in favor of Green.

      • “A long standing grudge” that began because Jurgen touted Landon as a world class player who was ready to be a star in the Bundesliga, when Landon was awful, Jurgen lost all credibility with the rest of the club and was one of the final straws that led to his dismissal. The president of the club said Donovan wasn’t good enough to play for their amateur sides reserves. And we think Jurgen throws players under the bus.

        I don’t know if Jurgen has a grudge or not, I’m not just going to go off message board rumor and an immature tweet from his teenager, but he certainly had good reason to lack trust in LD after sticking his neck out for him in 2009, when he was brought in as Bayern’s only January addition.

      • ‘“A long standing grudge” that began because Jurgen touted Landon as a world class player who was ready to be a star in the Bundesliga’

        manager takes a long shot on a player who’s way out of his depth, and then blames the player when he’s not good enough? that’s so klinsmann.

      • At the time this long shot had over 80 MLS goals including coming off his most productive season ever and had become the US’s all-time leading goal scorer. He was U17 WC Golden Boot winner and 2002 WC best young player award winner.

        JK fought to bring him in the Summer and was denied and again fought, brought him in in January. When Donovan didn’t perform in training (according to multiple articles about Donovan’s time there) Klinsman still subbed LD over Podolski who at the time already had 30+ goals for the German NT. Donovan gave Klinsman every reason to not trust his ability and his commitment and when LD took a sabbatical from soccer it just further cemented that lack of trust.

        Take out the names in the story and I don’t think anyone would side with the player.

      • i’m not “siding” with anyone–i think landon was about as ill-fitted at striker for bayern as klinsmann was at manager.

        just think it’s funny how klinsmann repeatedly thought he was smarter than everyone else and tried to prove landon was a world-class striker, and then blamed landon when it turned out he wasn’t. i mean, obviously the problem was that landon just didn’t try hard enough; it couldn’t possibly have been that klinsmann was wrong.

      • @Johnnyrazor, sorry bro but i can’t agree with you on this one. Green should have been nowhere near that WC team and everybody knows he took the spot that was supposed to be Landons’. You want to qualify Jurgen saying that he saw Landon as a forward as proof that Green didn’t take his spot but how many times has JK said one thing but meant another or has said things just for the sake of covering his own butt?!?! Word out of the prep camp was that LD was the fittest player(he may have not looked like it) and that he was killing it in scrimmages. JK definitely had a gripe and its amusing that your the only one that couldnt see it.

        The sabbatical LD took was necessary for him because he had become burned out and the USMNT didn’t need him for the WCQ’s but i can also see how it could have rubbed some people the wrong way. In my opinion, after all LD had done for the program he deserved a reprieve but JK wanted to make a point against our countries best EVER player, one who also single handidly won him the ’13 GC(was MVP, golden boot). Do you think we win that tourney if Landon doesnt play in it and more to the point JK would be without any silver ware had we not won the GC that summer due to Donovans’ play!

      • Ron- There is certainly plenty of blame to be had, as both JK and LD have acted less than their maturity level. I am saying we trust Landon because he proved himself to us over and over. JK didn’t because he let him down when JK gave him trust and to make matters worse the very next year he played very well for Everton in the EPL.

        I looked back awhile ago when I had this same argument with someone might have been you don’t remember. LD was not the fittest, reports by MLS.com (not necessarily an impartial site) that seemed to come from Beasley his long time friend and Nat teammate said he did beat many of the team in the fitness test not won it. I don’t think there is anyway Green took LDs spot they don’t play the same position or on the same side of the field. If anything you could say Yedlin stole his spot. Yedlin gets a pass in the argument because he was not a Germerican, and was one of the surprises of the WC not just a cameo.

        I agree taking LD for the GC is maybe the most perplexing part of the whole story. I do think we win the GC without him that year remember Mexico brought a pretty weak side and had issues with “tainted meat” that ruled out several other players.

    • Routinely?

      Green wasn’t even called in for the Olympic Qualifiers in October of 2015. Was he sick then too? Was he too valuable to Bayern Munich II’s place in the Bundesliga’s 4th division to let go?

      Based on the last 3 months you wouldn’t include Green on the Copa America roster? Based on his last 3 years, what exactly has Green done to deserve consideration for this years Copa America roster? One good moment, is that your argument?

      How does Donovan having a bad match versus Mexico build a case for Green? Especially since they were not competing for the same position. The subject at hand is Green’s resume prior to and since the 2014 World Cup, no? I assume that since you can’t build a case for Green’s level of quality before or after the 2014 WC you need to deflect attention to a different issue?

      Reply
      • SDiC- I said three months because that is really what matters, it doesn’t matter what anyone did two years ago or ten years ago. That’s what the Landon supporters don’t understand, should Kobe be on this years Olympics because he was great 5 years ago, I mean he just scored 60 points. Green scored 15 goals in 23 games, yes its the German 4th division, but where he was playing wasn’t Green’s fault. An 18 year old can’t go to the top club in Germany and demand a loan.

        Should he have turned down Klinsman and said “Hey I’ll switch to the US, but I really don’t belong on the team for Brazil.” He showed up and apparently played well enough over ten days in camp to beat out six MLS players and one Austrian based player. All we can do is say, well watching MLS and making a pretty safe assumption that it is better than Regionalia, a player from the Regionalia can’t be better than good players from MLS. What I said to Slow originally was we weren’t there to know if he ran rings around Brad Evans or Michael Orozco?

      • Soccerdad- Let me say it this way, I think its easy to argue he didn’t deserve to be brought to camp, that I would agree with. I don’t think any of us can say he didn’t earn his spot once he got there.

      • Razor, I agree with you 100%. If I was Green and given the opportunity to be given a roster spot for the World Cup, you are darn right I’m going to take it. After all, I just scored 28 goals in 15 matches in the top flight of my adult rec league.

        Humor aside, no one is going to turn down a spot to the World Cup. Don’t blame the kid at all. Easy decision. Regardless of the ensuing expectations, Green easily got the better end of the deal.

        Did he earn the 2014 WC roster spot? Absolutely not.

        Did he justify the selection? Probably. Would have been nice if he could have been trusted in the earlier matches of the World Cup to further justify his spot, but he scored a goal in limited action. Good enough.

        I like Green, quite a bit actually. Without a doubt one of the USMNT’s top prospects. But, IMO he has never been and is not now an international caliber player.

  16. Please stop comparing Pulisic to Freddy Adu! Adu started in the MLS and couldn’t hack it in Europe’s lesser divisions. Pulisic is starting for one of the best teams in Europe and playing well. No comparison.

    Reply
    • Yes there is a comparison. For one Dortmund is in a great place. They are in second place with no chance of getting 1st and no chance of losing the 2nd spot. So why not give Pulisic a chance they have nothing to lose. Plus he as a great cast of supporting players so there is no pressure for him .

      It says a ton about the kid that the club is giving him this shot, and they see him for the future. But too much too quick for a boy can ruin him. That’s what happened to Adu, Adu even said so, he let the hype go to his head. Hopefully Pulisic team mates are keeping him grounded.

      Reply
      • An Adu comparison is ridiculous. If Pulisic was saying he was 17 but really 20,…then maybe there would be a comparison. Pulisic was born in the US and we know exactly how old he is.

        Furthermore he has earned his way into the First Team for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Adu earned playing time because MLS sponsors were leaning on DCU to get him on the field.

    • Wonder what might have been had Freddy joined a European academy and been just another player brought through a system instead of being the MLS golden child?

      Reply
      • True, but he’d already been put on a pedestal by MLS . He already had national advertising campaigns going for three years before he transfered to Portugal and went directly to their first team. Had he started at Benefica at 14 in their youth system I think it might have been different. When you have a multimillion dollar deal with Nike/Addidas (I don’t remember which) its hard to play for a youth team or 3rd division team and learn how to play when everyone else is at athletically talented as you are.

  17. Even though he’s good enough to start, my guess is he’ll come off the bench or maybe start one game. Starting three games in a ten-day period is probably too much for a 17-year-old physically and they’ll be keeping that in mind.

    Reply
    • Regarding your comment “is probably too much for a 17-year-old physically” I think you have it backwards. This is soccer we are talking about, not something like competitive weight-lifting. A 17 year old is well suited for playing multiple soccer games in a short time frame, and he is waaay better suited for it then a player that is between 28-34 years old like the majority of the USMNT roster is likely to be. Pulisic being 17 years old does not give him any physical disadvantages when it comes to fear of over-use. If you were talking about a 17 year old baseball pitcher I would agree due to the anatomy of pitching, but not for soccer.

      Reply
  18. My guess is that Klinsmann will start him out as a substitute and Pulisic will end up positively impacting games more than whoever is starting in front of him. By the third game in group play he will be the starter for the rest of the tourney whether it is just the final group game or a deeper run in the elimination rounds.

    Reply
    • Agreed. I think it’d be relatively pointless to start him against Colombia, we’ll be lucky to have 40% possession in that one. Bring him on as an impact sub there, and then look to potentially start him against CR and Paraguay.

      Reply
      • I guess I should have said that this is what I think Klinsmann will do, not what I hope happens. After watching a handful of Dortmund games recently, I really do think he is capable of stepping in right away and starting on the right ahead of Bedoya or Zusi. I like both of those guys but I think most of us can admit that they are placeholders until we find Landon Donovan’s replacement at RW. If he is in the same ballpark as Bedoya or Zusi then I think he should get the start and start getting big time international experience just like Landon did at 17-18.

        I also prefer him at RW so that FJ can play LW. I think my ideal line-up would be:

        FJ———-Altidore——–Pulisic
        ————-Dempsey————
        ——-Bradley–Beckerman—-
        Shea–Brooks–Cameron–Yedlin

      • I think if we play the 4-3-3 there’s no reason for him not to play significant minutes, if its back to the 4-4-2 diamond and he has to play a wide midfield instead of the wing/forward its a little tougher for him.

      • Jpeddy- there were rumors that Colombia will be bringing mostly their U23s to prepare for the Olympics, but I don’t know if that’s true or just hope from US fans.

      • You just mentioned Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay in succession and I just realized how tough this tourney’s going to be.

  19. If he proves he’s better than other options in the team, why not? He’s earned his place @ Dortmund, if not, he will have to win it just like anyone else. Ability to make a difference, not age should be the criteria whether a player starts.

    Reply
  20. I think he will be a substitute then get a start, really just depends on where FJ gets played and how bedoya looks. I would much rather see him play just to help keep alittle bit of possession rather than a zardes

    Reply
    • Fabian Johnson plays out wide, either as a back or wing option, not centrally where Pulisic plays. He would slot in nicely in front of Bradley who could go back to his best position as a deep lying play maker. Is he good enough to take the spot of Jones who’s a proven quantity and having a nice start to his Colorado career? Or does he take Bedoya’s spot who’s been playing as our CAM?

      Reply
      • He plays mostly as a winger for Dortmund. He may transition back to the CAM role as he gains strength, but for now he is more a wide player.

  21. If Julian Green was good enough to get minutes in the World Cup the Pulisic should be a starter and maybe even the captain. We need to get as much out of him as soon as possible before something happens.

    Reply
  22. Expect him to play the Julian Green/Deandre Yedlin circa 2014 role as an impact substitute. Hopefully he doesn’t have the post tournament club team struggles that Green has experienced.

    Reply
    • Has Green really struggled or has he just not progressed? He was apparently good enough to go to a World Cup before while playing in the 4th division. What has really changed?

      Reply
      • Well Green was never good enough to play for the USMNT and he still isn’t. So in that sense, nothing has changed.

      • Yeah, he was not good enough at the time nor is he now to be playing with the senior team. Jurgen took him to Brazil to win him over and have him cap tied to the USMNT, which in my opinion could have waited until after the tourney.

      • Well put Jack. I’ve been arguing the very point about Green for quite a while. Has never been a USMNT caliber player. I do not write that in a demeaning or critical way. It’s just a fact in my eyes.

        Pulisic on the otherhand, has been impressive with his minutes for BD. I really hope that Pulisic earns his way onto the Copa America roster. Can’t see Pulisic starting, but he certainly looks like he can be an attacking presence as a substitute.

Leave a Reply to Quit Whining About Soccer in the US Cancel reply