SIGNED: American soccer player Christian Pulisic is set to play for Chelsea F. C. in the 2019/2020 season in a multimillion dollar signing.
By Emma Carson, Staff Writer
On January 2, Chelsea Football Club announced its $73 million signing of 20-year-old soccer player Christian Pulisic. Pulisic, a beloved member of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), currently plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga soccer league. South West London welcomes him with open arms, as he has already proven his skill with only three years of professional play.
Pulisic was born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, but began playing soccer at the age of seven in Tackley, a small town in England, where he fell in love with the sport after playing on a club team named Brackley Town for a year. At the age of 13, he joined the USMNT under 15 team, and him and his parents moved to Europe a year later to secure Pulisic a chance at playing soccer professionally. Borussia Dortmund signed him in 2015, he made his professional debut at 17. Pulisic became the youngest American to play in the UEFA Champions League and to win a Major European Trophy, after Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal cup in 2017.
In March 2016, Pulisic made his USMNT debut with a 4-0 win against Guatemala and scored his first U.S. goal in a 4-0 friendly match against Bolivia. In September of 2016 he scored two goals for the U.S., becoming the youngest person to score in a World Cup Qualifier. He also became the top U.S. scorer during the 2018 World Cup Qualification with five goals total. In November 2018, he became the youngest USMNT captain at the age of 20.
Pulisic brought his youth and talent to Dortmund and the USMNT, proving himself by becoming a leading scorer and breaking many records for both teams. His skills are valuable to any team, but Chelsea FC was willing to pay the $73 million for this remarkable player. Pulisic will finish out the Bundesliga season with Dortmund until May 2019, and begin training with Chelsea in the summer of 2019, before the Premier League season in August. He expressed his bittersweet feelings about leaving Dortmund in a letter to the club, coaches, teammates, and fans; “I would not be where I am today without the Club and their belief in giving young players a chance… please do not doubt my passion, determination and my 110% commitment to the team right until the last ball is kicked this season,” Pulisic said. At the age of 20, Christian Pulisic proved himself to be one of the most promising players in history, strongly representing his home country, Germany, and now London.