World Class Soccer in the United States
Christian. Pulisic. Have you ever watched this young man play the beautiful game? If you haven't, try and catch him with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Fox Sports, or in one of his stints with the US Mens National Team when he's playing in a game that matters. It really crushed me when the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was a failure beyond contemplation, honestly. All of the momentum that the US had built to really build the sport of soccer in the US was wiped out in an instant. Any positive energy quickly evaporated and soccer in the US was again relegated to the "drop down menu" status instead of "on the leading tag line."
Regardless of the state of the game, this kid is special. It's been a long time since an American male player has truly impressed me with his skill and creativity. Maybe it's because he's spent so much time training abroad with other world class players, or maybe because he really is a special kid. But his talent is undeniable. It's a little unclear to me what was released first, but his 2016 Match Attax Bundesliga card may be his first (or at least an early) card release.
His first US cards appeared in 2016-17 Donruss Soccer as "Donruss Debuts" but he was featured in his Dortmund uniform. His first US National Team cards, as well as his first event-worn (grrrr) material and autographs appeared in 2016-17 Panini Select Soccer. I still think these products are criminally underpriced, although I guess with the USMNT missing the world cup, there is very little marketing power behind them in the United States. What a shame that he won't be in Russia to showcase his talent on the world stage, although with his age, he still should get another 3, possibly 4 world cup chances.
As far as I know, his first actual game-worn material as well as on-card autographs appeared in 2017-18 Panini Immaculate Soccer, although I believe only the shoe material is game-worn and the jersey/patch stuff is still event-worn.
Regardless of the state of the game, this kid is special. It's been a long time since an American male player has truly impressed me with his skill and creativity. Maybe it's because he's spent so much time training abroad with other world class players, or maybe because he really is a special kid. But his talent is undeniable. It's a little unclear to me what was released first, but his 2016 Match Attax Bundesliga card may be his first (or at least an early) card release.
His first US cards appeared in 2016-17 Donruss Soccer as "Donruss Debuts" but he was featured in his Dortmund uniform. His first US National Team cards, as well as his first event-worn (grrrr) material and autographs appeared in 2016-17 Panini Select Soccer. I still think these products are criminally underpriced, although I guess with the USMNT missing the world cup, there is very little marketing power behind them in the United States. What a shame that he won't be in Russia to showcase his talent on the world stage, although with his age, he still should get another 3, possibly 4 world cup chances.
As far as I know, his first actual game-worn material as well as on-card autographs appeared in 2017-18 Panini Immaculate Soccer, although I believe only the shoe material is game-worn and the jersey/patch stuff is still event-worn.
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