Donovan lauds Pulisic: ‘I love it’
CITY, COLO. Landon
COMMERCE Donovan had a smile on his face watching Christian Pulisic shine for the USA on Thursday and an even bigger one right after the final whistle.
Pulisic’s first act after helping the USA improve its hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup was to tell a television interviewer that Sunday’s visit to Mexico, the toughest game on the qualifying schedule, would end in an unexpected victory.
For Donovan, it was in some ways like looking at a younger version of himself. The national team’s all-time leading goal scorer is happy to have hung up his cleats but holds the fortunes of the U.S. team close to his heart.
Once a precocious teenager himself, he has been delighted by the continued development of Pulisic, 18, as a player and a trusted member of the squad.
“He is carefree,” Donovan told USA TODAY Sports. “He is confident, he is relaxed and he’s enjoying himself. I love it.”
Such is the passion in Mexican soccer and the depth of the rivalry between the two countries that it doesn’t take much to rile Mexico’s fans. News of Pulisic’s interview likely reached south of the border within minutes of him saying it.
“We feel really confident going into that game,” Pulisic said. “We are going to come out with a win there, too.”
In truth, the simple fact that he is one of the U.S. team’s most productive players would be enough itself to earn him a hard time from the fans at Estadio Azteca. His words, right after Thursday’s 2-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago, could get him extra vocal attention from the fanatical Mexico City audience.
“He may learn to temper those thoughts,” Donovan said with a laugh. “I said some things when I was younger, probably much crazier things. It is not easy down there, and he’ll learn that, but you’ve got to love the confidence, that he’s willing to say it and he wants to back it up.”
Whether it be a must-win home game, such as the Trinidad and Tobago clash, or the noisiest and most intense match on the schedule, Pulisic displays no sign of getting rattled … by anything.
“I got to play Mexico at home, but obviously Azteca will be a little bit different,” Pulisic told USA TODAY Sports last week. “It is exciting. It is something a little bit different, a big rivalry. It just feels like a whole new game when you play them.”
The biggest thing Pulisic has going for him is a youngster’s freedom of expression, unfettered by pressure. For that to foster, it needs the right environment, something coach Bruce Arena has worked hard to implement.
He has not rushed Pulisic into situations he is unprepared for, yet neither has he held him back. Arena is 65 and began his first stint in charge of the U.S. team a month after Pulisic was born, but the pair have a strong understanding.
Donovan is not surprised, primarily because he saw firsthand the way in which Arena handled him and teammate DaMarcus Beasley when both were in the infancy of their pro careers.
“I think Bruce is the perfect coach for him,” Donovan said. “When DaMarcus and I were that age, he was the same way. He just allowed us to be kids and allowed it to be fun.”