U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic treats hometown kids to clinic in Hershey

 

(Hershey) — All things considered, Christian Pulisic would rather be in Russia. The reigning U.S. Soccer Player of the Year is still coping with the bitter disappointment of the U.S. not qualifying for the current World Cup there.

He was home in Hershey for most of June for some much needed down time, but the memory of that night in Trinidad and Tobago lingers. He was on the field in November when U.S. hopes were dashed in a 2-1 loss, when all that was needed was a draw. It was the first time since 1986 that the U.S. did not qualify. At 19, it could have been his first of possibly four World Cups. 

“I’ll never forget that feeling,” he said Thursday during a clinic he helped conduct for kids from mostly the Milton Hershey School. “It’s been really tough, but it’s also been great to come home to Hershey for a while and to watch all the great soccer being played in Russia.”

He expressed the same feelings here that he eloquently penned over the winter for the Players Tribune. Right after the U.S. failed to qualify, he walked off the field and asked an assistant coach the answer to a question he hated to ask.

“What are the other scores?” he said. “Are we going? I’ll never forget the look on his face or the sound of his voice or the feeling of utter devastation in my body when he turned to me and said, ‘We’re not going. We didn’t make it.’”

Pulisic said playing for the U.S. in a World Cup had been his dream for as long as he can remember. 

“The thought of having to wait four more years,” he said, “just to get the taste of losing our last qualifier out of my mouth….just to find out if we’re going to the next World Cup. Man, that’s tough. Four years feels like a lifetime.”

At 19, time can also heal all wounds. He took the bitterness with him to Germany to finish the season this spring with Borussia Dortmund. A fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga assured Dortmund of another season in the Champions League, which isn’t a bad deal.

Whether he’s still with Dortmund this season after the European transfer window remains to be seen. Big money offers are constantly coming in for him.

“As of right now, yes, he’s with Dortmund,” said his mother, Kelley, “but that could change tomorrow. He loves Dortmund. He plays in front of 83,000 fans every home game. Every game is sold out, but the money being talked about for him is crazy.”

Pulisic returned to America in May and played for the U.S. in a 3-0 win over Bolivia in Philadelphia. By the final whistle of that game, he was ready for some rest.

“I just wanted to come home to Hershey for vacation,” he said. “I wanted to spend some time with my family, my friends and my dog.”

His career will resume soon enough. The U.S. has scheduled some big games this fall against Brazil, Italy, England and Mexico. Before that, Dortmund will be coming to America with a game scheduled against Benfica of Portigal on July 25 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Pulisic’s dad, Mark, the former coach at Lebanon Valley College, is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

United States men’s national team player Christian Pulisic participates in a children’s soccer clinic Thursday, June 28, 2018 in Hershey. (Photo: Jim Seip, York Daily Record)

 

He returns to Dortmund on July 5 to start training.

“The biggest thing with playing for a club like Dortmund,” he said, “is you’re competing every day in practice with great players for a spot on the team. You have to keep working and you have to keep improving.”

On Thursday, his thoughts were on giving back to the game that has already given him so much. He likes working with kids, he says, because it wasn’t that long ago that he was one of them. Last summer, he spent time at the Hershey Soccer Club’s Summer Classic tournament and spent a day at coach Charlie Grimes’ day camp at Lebanon Valley College. Pulisic was 6 years old when his dad coached at LVC.

He spent time at Thursday’s clinic showing kids some of his soccer skills, signing autograghs and answering questions.  They also traded World Cup stickers produced by Panini, which sponsored the event. Panini has put out World Cup collectibles since 1970.

“I love working with kids, especially here in Hershey,” he said. “I hope to inspire them. When I was a kid, I would have loved a soccer hero of any kind to come here. Hopefully, I can provide the same feeling for some of these kids.”

Pulisic also spent time discussing the World Cup, before joining kids to watch the afternoon game between England and Belgium.

Naturally, he was surprised that Germany was eliminated from the World Cup after suffering two losses in three games. A number of his Dortmund teammates made the World Cup.

“It just goes to show you how great the teams are in the World Cup,” he said. “They’re playing some exciting soccer. For Germany, the defending champ, to go out after the first round, that’s tough. Germany’s got some hard questions to answer before they can return to the top.

“Mostly, I’ve been rooting for my teammates and former teammates who are there. I was really happy for (Dortmund teammate) Marco Reus for getting to play in the World Cup, but I’m not really rooting for any one team. There are a lot of great ones.”

Another Dortmund teammate, Mario Gotze, who scored the winning World Cup goal for Germany in the final over Argentina in Brazil four years ago, was not selected this time around.

Interest in Pulisic continues to grow. English Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have  reportedly made offers. He is considered the most marketable U. S. player ever.

Liverpool is coached by Jurgen Klopp, who was at Dortmund when Pulisic was signed as a 16-year old. Dortmund, which has had three coaches in the past two years, has a history of selling off top talent. Pulisic’s next transfer fee is estimated to be anywhere from $55-$100 million.

As for his future with the U.S. team, he’s hoping for the best.

“I like the direction in which the team is headed,” he said. “They’ve brought in some exciting young players. U.S. players are continuing to go to European clubs, which can only make them better players and better for the U.S. in the future.”