Christian Pulisic shined against one of the best teams in the world this time
Another day of Borussia Dortmund soccer, another standout performance for Christian Pulisic. This time it came off the bench as he helped spark the BVB attack, then set up a late equalizer that earned the Germans a point against Real Madrid. Yeah, Real Madrid.
Pulisic has done it for club and country. He's done it in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers, the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He did it against small clubs and in blowouts, and now he's doing it late in a close match against the defending Champions League winners.
It was Pulisic who gathered the ball, cut in, left one Real Madrid defender on the ground, drew three more then hit the cross that Andre Schurrle eventually got on the end of for an 87th minute equalizer.
It looks like a simple play, but there aren't a ton of players who can do that. There sure aren't many, if any, Americans who can.
The recognition of where his defender is, the type of space he had along the sideline and then good first touch, turn and explosion to leave his man in the dust is rare, at least at this level. Doing that against Trinidad and Tobago or Darmstadt is one thing, but this is Real Madrid and it's with the match on the line.
Pulisic didn't just set up that goal either. He got in behind the defense once, sending Real Madrid into a mad scramble to close off any angle for him and the Merengues' attack slowed down Pulisic's wing not long after the 18-year-old came on. They were so careful not to let him get free that they were willing to give up something in the attack to make sure the American wouldn't hurt them.
Pulisic isn't a superstar. Not yet at least. After all, he came off the bench in this match and played just 17 minutes. He's very much a squad player for Borussia Dortmund, one who sometimes comes off the bench like he did on Tuesday and other times starts, as he's also done this season. But he's a squad player for one of the best teams in Europe who also have Mario Gotze, Schurrle, Shinji Kagawa, Ousmane Dembele and Emre Mor available as attacking options, with Marco Reus close to rejoining the mix. Cracking that team as an attacking player, and getting the nod in the league and in Europe is a huge deal for anyone, let alone an 18-year-old. And to this point Pulisic hasn't given manager Thomas Tuchel any reason to stop throwing him out there.
There aren't many people who don't believe in Pulisic at this point. Even in Germany, where they have seen scores of brilliant teenagers come through, pundits and fans acknowledge he is one of the best young players that the country has right now. With the way he is playing -- not just in Bundesliga matches and even in the Champions League, but against one of the biggest clubs in the world -- it's no wonder that everyone thinks he is special.
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Wonderful work from Pulisic to set up Schurrle's unstoppable equalizer for Dortmund. #UCLonFOX https://t.co/JYkieVRcAS
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 27, 2016
