Borussia Dortmund, without the injured Christian Pulisic, traveled to face Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga’s Friday night fixture. It was, if we’re being honest, a bit boring, with just three shots on target the entire match. Not even the second-half introduction of American Bobby Wood could spice things up, with the teams finishing in a 0-0 draw and few Dortmund vs Hannover highlights to speak of.
There’s something about soccer players born in September.
While talent should in theory be equally divided throughout the world by players born in each month, soccer players born in September make up a hefty portion of some of the best players in the world right now and throughout history. In fact, nine of the following best soccer players born in September were born in 1989, apparently a great month in the history of the sport, which gave us the likes of Thomas Mueller, Daniel Sturridge, Alexandre Pato and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
How fast is Christian Pulisic? The 19-year-old American is usually deployed on the right flank by club side Borussia Dortmund — although he enjoys a more central role when playing with the USMNT — so he’s certainly no slouch when it comes to pace. However, what makes him such a precocious talent is that he’s no one-trick pony — he doesn’t only rely on his blistering speed to create chances and take defenders on.
Adidas has long been king in the soccer world. The official partner of FIFA gives the German giant a huge following as perhaps the most popular producer of soccer-related equipment from clothes to cleats. But a look at what soccer players are sponsored by Nike reveals how close the American company is coming to overtaking adidas as the biggest soccer brand.
Around this time last year, ESPN FC used an unnamed source to confirm that Christian Pulisic would reflect on his year at the end of the year.
In the wake of Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 friendly victory over Liverpool on June 22, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp — a longtime admirer of the playing style of 19-year-old American Christian Pulisic — took a moment to discuss the Dortmund phenom. In essence, it was a call for America to wake up and learn how to play soccer.
Last night, some kid named Christian Pulisic decided what better time to light things up than back at home in the U.S. of A. against the Champions League runners-up/the team that has a growing interest in him.
Both born in 1998, France’s Kylian Mbappé and the U.S.’ Christian Pulisic are football superstars who, if both continue being great, will be of yet another generation that redefines the beautiful game. The question is, who’s the better 19-year-old?