Christian Pulisic, a 27-year-old from Hershey, Pennsylvania, will once again lead the USMNT at the FIFA World Cup, this time on home soil. Pulisic made his U.S. men’s national team debut at just 17 years old in a World Cup qualifying match, and since then, he’s turned into one of the brightest young American soccer stars of all time.

Early Career

Pulisic donned the USMNT captain’s armband for the first time during a November 2018 friendly against Italy. He was 20 years and 63 days old at the time, making him the youngest USMNT captain in the modern era. Prior to Pulisic, Donovan was the youngest to captain the Americans at 22 years and 220 days old.

Pulisic made more goal-scoring history in a September 2016 World Cup qualifying match versus St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Pulisic, aged 17 years and 349 days, became the youngest USMNT player to both score a goal and record a brace in a World Cup qualifying match.

Professional Career

Pulisic signed with Borussia Dortmund of Germany’s Bundesliga in February 2015 as a 16-year-old. A little less than a year later, he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute against Ingolstadt at 17 years and 133 days old. Pulisic would go on to make 127 appearances across four seasons with Borussia Dortmund, recording 19 goals and 26 assists.

Pulisic joined Italian side AC Milan in 2023 and has scored 31 goals across 100 appearances with the club. He will now lead the USMNT in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.