US star Pulisic sets his goals high
Dortmund midfielder’s level of play on the rise
Christian Pulisic has more expectations on his shoulders than any other player in American soccer history, and it doesn’t bother him. For one specific reason.
“I put such high expectations on myself anyway that those kind of outweigh everything,” Borussia Dortmund’s 19year-old midfield star told USA TODAY. “I realize that the older I get and the more I achieve, the more people are going to expect things of me.”
But while Pulisic continues to dream big, the American community is already living the dream through him. Landon Donovan is widely considered the best player in U.S. history, but Donovan never had a key role for a team contending for titles in a major European league while featured regularly in the Champions League.
If Pulisic moves on from Dortmund in the near future, an outcome that has been continually speculated but is far from certain, the transfer fee could approach $100 million. When Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid, the figure was $130 million. Pulisic is in elite circles now.
“I want more out of myself each year,” Pulisic said. “I have done some good things, but that has come because I have worked at it. I want to keep improving and seeing how far I can lift my game. I want to be successful, and the only way to do that is to get better.”
The USA’s elimination from the World Cup during the CONCACAF qualifying stage meant Pulisic was able to spend some quality time with his family in Hershey, Pennsylvania, while hanging out with friends and watching the action from Russia on television.
He will be in the USA for another week, as much of Dortmund’s preseason is centered around the International Champions Cup.
Dortmund, fourth in the German Bundesliga last season, is one of 18 elite teams taking part and kicks off the tournament by facing English Premier League champion Manchester City at Soldier Field on Friday in Chicago.
The U.S. trip has also served as a reminder of how much his popularity here has grown and just how much the American soccer community hopes he can continue to blossom.
“I remember a couple of years ago the first time I saw someone in the States with a Dortmund jersey on,” Pulisic said. “That was pretty cool, and then to see that it had my name on the back it pretty much blew my mind. It is great to see that there are more and more of them now.
“You try not to think too much about the fact that it is your jersey, I really just look at it that it’s a positive thing for the game to be growing so much over here. Dortmund has an amazing soccer culture. It is a part of the city and there is unbelievable passion, so it is cool to come here and share that with American soccer fans.”
After the Chicago clash, Dortmund will take on Champions League runnerup Liverpool at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday. Liverpool is one of the clubs Pulisic has been linked with in the English news media, perhaps because the club is coached by former Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp.
Dortmund rounds out its American trip on July 25, taking on Portugal’s Benfica in Pulisic’s home state of Pennsylvania, with the game being staged at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Dortmund hopes to improve on its standing and has a new coach in Frenchman Lucien Favre. Last season was patchy, with fourth place and Champions League qualification secured only by the narrowest of margins. Dortmund suffered a poor Champions League campaign that ended in the group stage, then got bounced from the Europa League in the Round of 16.
“We definitely want to improve on where we got to last season,” Pulisic said. “If we can build and keep things together, get to be more consistent in our performances and build on that kind of momentum, then that’ll be good for us. We want to do well in all of the competitions we are in and go as far as we can.”
The lasting memory many American fans have of Pulisic is the tears he shed on that fateful night in Trinidad and Tobago when the national team’s World Cup dream died in extraordinary fashion.
He will be back in America colors before long, but with the exception of some friendlies, a quiet time on the international calendar is approaching. Pulisic’s immediate focus is to get himself established again at Dortmund and to continue his upward progress.
He has reached a level unknown to any American player, but it’s not even close to being enough to satisfy his ambition.