Christian Pulisic shines as door opens for him at Borussia Dortmund
When Borussia Dortmund's teamsheet came out for Sunday's Revierderby at Schalke, some very big names were glaringly absent. Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ilkay Gundogan.
One name that was on there: 17-year-old American Christian Pulisic.
Get used to it over the next month. The Hershey, PA native is primed to show the world what he can do in the Bundesliga run-in.
Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel opted to rest his biggest stars ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarterfinal second leg at Liverpool, a clear indication that the club have given up all hope of catching Bayern Munich in the title race. The Bundesliga's biggest local derby thus turned into Pulisic's chance to shine, and the freshly baked U.S. international made the most of it.
In just his second-ever start and sixth Bundesliga appearance, Pulisic was arguably Dortmund's best player in the fist half, winning a slew of corner kicks and free kicks with a fine blend of speed and ball control. He was a constant thorn in Schalke's side, and painfully unlucky not to score his first goal after this bustling run:
Biggest chance of the game so far goes to Christian Pulisic, who goes it alone and just misses the far post! #S04BVB https://t.co/ljdfa1ido1
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 10, 2016
17 year-old and bossing against Schalke. #Pulisic
— Simo Aurala (@S1Moo_96) April 10, 2016
Pulisic took more of a backseat role to the proceedings in the second stanza, a wild, back-and-forth affair that produced four goals in 17 minutes and saw the derby finish in a 2-2 draw.
Still, Pulisic has clearly begun to earn Tuchel's trust since making his first-team debut in late January. With the title race now effectively over and second place already clinched, the next month should serve as the American's opportunity to prove he can make the leap at one of Europe's biggest clubs.
Turning 18 in September, Pulisic is still at least a year away from cracking Dortmund's starting XI, but he could carve himself a top backup role similar to what midfielder Gonzalo Castro or forward Adrian Ramos occupy this season. A regular substitute in Dortmund's key games, while filling in as a rotational spot starter on weekends before or after Champions League action.
It's not a far-fetched fantasy. Dortmund for years have been known to nurture young talents into bonafide stars, from Gundogan and Mats Hummels to the since-departed Mario Goetze. And Tuchel has already proven he's not afraid to go with youth. Twenty-year-old Julian Weigl succesfuly entrenched himself as full-time starter in central midfield this season over Castro, who only was Dortmund's most expensive summer signing.
If Pulisic finds a way to impress over the final five weeks of the season, he can put himself in position to become the next big thing coming out of Dortmund's renowned talent pipeline. And to find himself on the teamsheet much more often.
