Christian Pulisic has had a 2016 that is pretty far removed from your average 17-year-old American’s typical year. The young Borussia Dortmund midfielder made his first team debut for the black and yellow and was given his first senior cap for the USMNT. To top it all off he became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score twice in a campaign.
His future is now a hot topic for many US soccer fans. The question is now what’s next for the American wunderkind? Make no mistake, finding a way into the Borussia Dortmund first team, even if it’s predominantly as a supporting role is a remarkable success. This isn’t Hannover or Freiburg in the second division. Pulisic arrival in Dortmund is a testament to his skill, as well as the faith that head coach Thomas Tuchel has shown in him.
It should be to no one’s surprise that, with the transfer market about to open, other teams have taken notice of the young man from Hershey, Pennsylvania. There have been talks that Pulisic is being monitored by the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid. The former seems very likely, as Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp was surely aware of Pulisic while he was in charge of Dortmund.
For a 17-year-old it must truly be flattering to be linked with two of the most famous clubs in the world. It must also be very tempting for the young man when he’s being linked with either side. However, despite the flattery and temptation, would actually moving away from Dortmund as early as this summer actually be a good thing for Pulusic? Maybe not.
As a teenager, Pulisic needs to play to grow. So right off the bat, Madrid should be ignored. He’d likely get as much first team playing time at the Bernabeu as Norwegian Martin Ødegaard managed so far. That’s not great. Liverpool is a little different, Klopp isn’t shy about using youngsters, he never has been. So if Pulisic did find himself in Anfield next season he’d be much more likely to see first team action then at Madrid.
Of course, Pulisic might find just as much playing time in Dortmund. With BVB headed back to the Champions League next year, they could choose to invest more in new talents to help them which could push Pulisic down the depth chart. But with the hype that Pulisic is getting not only in the US but in Germany, especially from Tuchel it seems a safe bet that Pulisic will feature quite often in next season’s campaign.
Totally get the "calm the Pulisic hype train" folks—we have a history in US soccer media—but Germany is more excited about him than USA rn.
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) April 29, 2016
His familiarity with Tuchel and the city of Dortmund is also important for someone his age. The biggest argument for remaining in Germany, for now, is that he knows what’s expected of him in Dortmund. His current teammate, Nuri Sahin, is a good example of the pitfuls of young talent moving on before their ready. Sahin is, still to this date, the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history. Sahin moved to Real Madrid after finally become a key piece for Dortmund in their 2010-2011 title winning season. He was named Bundesliga player of the season shortly before being sold to Madrid. Sahin featured just four times for the Spanish club, before being loaned to Liverpool and then finally returning to Dortmund.
Of course, Sahin was older than Pulisic is now when he moved to Madrid, but he still never became more than a bench warmer. That being said, Pulisic does seem to have a much higher ceiling than Sahin, and Sahin’s story should serve as little more than a cautionary tale for the teenager. The sky is the limit for Pulisic and he should prosper under a manager like Tuchel. There aren’t many teams in Europe better than Borussia Dortmund right now, and playing at that high level will only benefit Pulisic. If he continues to develop at Dortmund, which continued time on the pitch the sky can be the limit, and that’s the best news the USMNT can hope for.
