There is no doubt as to who is the most talented player on the USMNT -- it's by far Christian Pulisic. The Pennsylvania-born midfielder is just 18 years old and has been a regular starter for powerful German club Borussia Dortmund. His creativity, understanding of the game and ability to control the ball looks like that of an established European talent in his mid 20s and not for a young American soccer star who is blazing a path through Europe.
His young career with Dortmund has been promising, but there certainly was some concern from him entering the season. His club brought in plenty of talent that many thought would take up most of the playing time -- Ousmane Dembele, Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle -- but that hasn't been the case. He has played in six of Dortmund's last eight games, starting four of them.
And there is a reason why -- because he has done everything that has been asked of him.
Speaking to ESPNFC, his club's manager heaped some huge praise on the youngster.
"[You've got] nothing to worry about, if you focus on yourself and stay calm and confident and work hard, there's no doubt that you can always start," Thomas Tuchel said.
"That's the advantage that comes from treating [Pulisic] this way. We don't look at his age, we don't send him to the team to make ourselves bigger.
"There were some doubts, he had some doubts before the season, with all the guys coming in -- Ousmane Dembele, Emre Mor, Andre Schurrle, Mario [Gotze] and Marco Reus. We missed Marco for a long time, and [Pulisic] took his chances.
"It's outstanding because [he doesn't get] injured, he makes almost every training session, that's a huge advantage. He started in many important games. And he deserved it."
And he has looked good in the process. He fits into Dortmund's powerful attack like a glove, doing his job by spreading the ball around and being part of that midfield engine. Tuchel noted that he could still be with the youth team, but what he has shown has warranted him being on the senior squad.
"I'm very happy with his development this season. Of course, you can't predict these developments, and the way he behaves ... He's a very important part of the team. [It's] outstanding because he could still play for the youth team," Tuchel added.
"In our minds, he's a [regular] player for us and we treat him like a normal guy. Sometimes, you have to look at this piece of paper to believe how young he still is.
"He's very self-confident, Christian. You can see it in training, and the way he plays. He's not nervous, he's very ambitious. It's nice to have him."
Boy, that better excite USMNT fans. He's the best soccer prospect the country has produced, and to be 18 and producing at a club like Dortmund is truly stunning. Some top South American and European talent can't even break into senior squads at some clubs, and here is an American soccer player doing big things at a huge club.
Tuchel's words show just how much quality they think he has, and the amount he has played shows the confidence. At a club where youth development is rivaled by few, each match he plays is good news for USMNT fans who want to see him grow into a world star. He's at the right place to do that, and it looks like he's doing all the right things to get even better.
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