The Borussia Dortmund star speaks exclusively to Goal about his World Cup heartache and his hopes for the new Bundesliga season <\/p>\n
Their summers could hardly have been more different.<\/p>\n
While Kylian Mbappe exploded, his performances helping France to World Cup glory\u00a0and announcing him to a global audience, 7,000 kilometres away another of world football\u2019s teenage stars was enjoying an altogether quieter time.<\/p>\n
Christian Pulisic was not in Russia, of course, his USA side one of a number of high-profile absentees from perhaps the most exciting tournament in recent memory.<\/p>\n
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So while Mbappe, three months his junior, was lighting it up, Pulisic was keeping a low profile. He went home, to Hershey, Pennsylvania. He switched off, met up with friends and family, tried to unwind after a long, at times stressful campaign. World Cup? What World Cup?<\/p>\n
And then, curiosity got the better of him. On came the TV. Out came the fan in him. He saw Mbappe. Like the rest of us, he marvelled at what he was achieving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely tried to take a few weeks off from the game after the season ended,\u201d Pulisic tells Goal in an exclusive interview. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t follow it still!<\/p>\n
\u201cI love watching the game, and I loved watching the World Cup. Of course I\u2019d rather have been involved myself, but it was a great tournament. I couldn\u2019t miss watching something like that!\u201d<\/p>\n
So does seeing Mbappe, a peer, doing what he did give him inspiration?<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he says. \u201cSeeing what a good tournament he had, it\u2019s definitely inspiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I\u2019d love to have been a part of it all myself, but it\u2019s cool to see young guys like him doing well on a stage like the World Cup. He was so good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Listening to Pulisic, it is easy to forget that, like Mbappe, this is a staggeringly young footballer. At just 19, he has already packed more into his career than some will in a lifetime. He is closing in on a century of appearances for Dortmund, while for the US national team he is THE great hope, the man to guide them out of the darkness of 2018 and towards a brighter future. Some observers already believe him to be the greatest American footballer ever. He turns 20 in September.<\/p>\n
His is a star in the ascendency, for sure, though he is mature enough to reflect on a difficult 12 months, a season of turbulence and inconsistency at Dortmund coupled, of course, by the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup.<\/p>\n
But what\u2019s the saying; you either win or you learn? Pulisic learned last season, undoubtedly. Now, with a new coach, Lucien Favre, installed at Dortmund, he is ready to step up to the plate once more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot to take from last year,\u201d he says. \u201cOf course we didn\u2019t have all the success we wanted, but you can still learn a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of changes, we have some new players in and we can see what we can build off from last season.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dortmund ended the campaign fourth in the Bundesliga, crucially securing Champions League football in the process. And with Favre, the respected Swiss coach, having replaced Peter Stoger, there is optimism around Signal Iduna Park. Impressive pre-season showings, in particular against Manchester City and Liverpool, where Pulisic stole the show, have only underlined that fact.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the big thing is stability,\u201d Pulisic says. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting to know the new players and having a good relationship with our coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast season we had a good start, but we couldn\u2019t really keep it going. This year we need to keep that consistency for the whole year and be a tough team to play against all year long. That\u2019s definitely our goal for the season, and something we want to build on.\u201d<\/p>\n
And has Favre, a manager known for possession football and an obsession for tactical detail, started to stamp his mark yet?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a normal process, getting to know a new coach,\u201d Pulisic adds. \u201cIt\u2019s been pretty good so far, I think, pre-season has gone well. I think we have looked good in our games.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow it\u2019s about finishing off pre-season strongly and being 100 per cent ready when the Bundesliga season comes around.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to grow from last season and do better in the Bundesliga. We always want to secure our Champions League spot of course, and to get more points than we did last season. That\u2019s always the goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to cup competitions and the Champions League, it\u2019s always about going as far as we can. Getting out of the group stage is the first objective, then after that we will see.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing is for sure, with Pulisic fit and firing, Dortmund should not be written off. The boy is ready to become a man. Defences beware.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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