The story of how American Soccer Star Christian Pulisic parents relaxed approach helped him reach Elite levels
Christian Pulisic is known as the American "Wonderkid". That name is attributed to him because of how quickly he rose to the highest level of soccer. He is a native of Hershey, PA. There is where he played for the PA Classics, a U.S soccer development side for seven years.
At the age of only 15, he was signed by one of the biggest European clubs Borussia Dortmund.
In two years he would make his professional debut for Borussia Dortmund. Becoming the Youngest foreigner to score in Bundesliga history: 17 years old and 211 days, in a 3-0 win against Hamburg.
During the next few years, he would establish himself as the face of American Soccer. Some of the achievements.
Youngest American goal scorer for the U.S Men's National Team
Youngest American player in history to play in a World Cup qualifying match
USMNT Player Of The Year 2017
Youngest American to win a major European Trophy (DFB Pokal)
At this point, Christian was one of the most exciting young players in the world with multiple top-tier clubs vying for his signature. In 2019, he got a big-money move worth $74 million dollars to Chelsea Football Club. One of the biggest clubs in England and the world. He was a part of the team that recently won the Champions League in the 2020/2021 season.
Already at the age of 23, Christian Pulisic is arguably the most accomplished American player ever. He has years to go and potential that still hasn't been tapped, so it isn't a stretch to say that he will possibly become the greatest American soccer player ever.
Success like this at such a young age is impossible without a certain mentality and guidance. Mentality comes from how you are raised. That is where the story of Christian's parents and how their relaxed approach helped his soccer career.
Mark Pulisic played collegiate soccer at George Mason University. His mother also played collegiate soccer at George Mason University. Coming from a soccer family one would think that it was "mandatory" for Christian to play soccer, but that wasn't the case at all.
"We almost pushed him in directions other than soccer”
"He wasn't forced in any manner. I wanted to make sure he was making the decision."
"Things don't work if you're forcing training on kids." -Mark Pulisic
This is probably one of the defining moments in his development. His parents took the pressure off him and allowed him to find out what he really loves to do. Once he made that decision, then they went and applied all their energy to his soccer development.
This is an important lesson because on a lot of occasions there are soccer parents who force or put unnecessary pressure on their kids to train.
In life when someone is forced to do something they don't want to do they aren't going to apply their best effort. Without effort and motivation to do something, it is ultimately pointless.
For all the parents out there this can be something to self-reflect on. The best way to help young children is to let them find love for what they are doing organically. Once that love is there, anything is possible.
You might have the next big soccer star right under your guidance ;).
How We Can Help:
At FuturElitez Soccer, we emphasize a lot on our player's mindset and attitude towards not only football/soccer but life. Not only do we emphasize this with our players, but we try to put out information for everyone to see. With our podcasts on youtube and our blogs, we try to put out a message to help everyone live their life to the fullest! If you enjoyed this read, it would mean so much to us if you could share this with a friend/family member! Thank you in advance for always reading our blogs on a weekly basis.