PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thanks to a guy who showed he had a knack for the game of soccer since he was a kid playing on the pitches in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Team USA’s World Cup squad will take on the Netherlands Saturday at 10 a.m. in America’s first second-round World Cup match in more than eight years.
The contest comes four days after Central Pennsylvania's own Christian Pulisic scored the team’s only goal in their first-round win over Iran.
“It's surreal. It's like you’ve got to almost keep pinching yourself, like this is really happening,” said Doug Harris, the co-founder’s of Pennsylvania Classics, a popular travel soccer club out of Lancaster County.
“His soccer IQ was always off the charts. His awareness on the field, his understanding of the game, knowing where to be at what time.”
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He says soccer is in Christian’s blood. Both of his parents played soccer at George Mason University, and his dad Mark had his own professional career with the NPSL’s Harrisburg Heat.
Years later, Harris is watching the same kid who he says was never timid, but fearless — even when frequently playing with the older kids.
“It didn't matter who he was going up against. He was never intimidated, he would always be out there battling and even to this day, what I see in Christian, I think some of those building blocks related at a very early age, where he would just run at defenders. As an attacking-style player, he would go right at the back line. He didn't care who you were, how big you were,” Harris said.
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Harris said Pulisic has become a role model for so many younger players from Central Pennsylvania.
“Within the club, the kids, they all look up to him. They all want to be just like Christian," he said.
Pulisic, also a star at English club Chelsea, funded, designed and developed the “Pulisic Stomping Ground,” an open field training area of the Pennsylvania Classics’ home field complex.
Pulisic was injured during the play when he scored Team USA’s winning goal Tuesday. He has been cleared to play Saturday.