World Cup debut delayed, not denied, as U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic finally fulfills his lifelong wish

DOHA, Qatar — When Hershey native Christian Pulisic steps on the field at Al Rayyan Stadium on Monday for the U.S. team’s World Cup opener against Wales, he’ll be finally realizing a childhood dream.

Sitting before a small table of media gathered in Doha for the FIFA World Cup, Pulisic reflected, “When I was a kid in Pennsylvania growing up, you know, 5 to 10 years old … that’s all I thought about, was a World Cup, playing for the U.S. team in a World Cup. So that’s just been a dream of mine my whole life.”

This will be his first World Cup, because the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. Pulisic, 24, has had to wade through that disappointment.

Back then, an older generation of stars remained at the helm of the USA’s sinking qualification campaign and a then 19-year-old Pulisic became the hope for a different future. He was the oft-relied upon game-changer, even at such a young age. That entry onto the national team — combined with his ever-increasing, subsequent success at the club level in Europe — made Pulisic the poster child of the U.S. program.

But four years have passed. When Pulisic steps onto the field opposite the Welsh national team, he won’t need to take on the expectations alone.

The United States has the second-youngest team in this tournament. Beyond its age, what’s notable about the squad is how successful its players have been already, blazing trails in Europe with remarkable pace in their still-ascending careers. Pulisic will take to the field alongside emerging talent playing across top leagues in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.

That generation of talent has arrived in part because of the failure to qualify in 2017.

As Pulisic recalled, “That first year after not qualifying … just the new guys that they brought in, and the opportunity that so many new players were receiving changed a lot in the way the team was functioning.”

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The focus is, of course, on this tournament, and succeeding now. But Pulisic shared a hope that the youth of this team and the experiences they’re gaining at a World Cup, bodes exceptionally well for 2026, when the United States will host a World Cup, including Philadelphia among the host cities, with most of those players firmly in their prime.

“I think we have the youngest team in the tournament,” Pulisic said. “I think it’s only a good thing for the future.”

There is a certain degree of pressure that comes with being the most visible face and recognizable name on a team that desperately wants to prove something. Aside from leaving the failure to qualify for 2018 behind, that goal is to change global perceptions about American soccer.

“Absolutely; that’s what we’re here to do,” Pulisic said. “Maybe it hasn’t been the top sport or whatever back in the States. And we want to change the way that the world sees us, sees American soccer, to be honest, that’s one of our goals.”

He won’t be the only one leading that charge at the World Cup in Doha. He’ll be joined by the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Giovanni Reyna, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Sergiño Dest, and all the others on the Team USA roster.

Yet Pulisic is still considered the standard-bearer, and he’s willing to shoulder that role. “I don’t see it as a burden at all,” he said. “I’m very excited for the moment.

“This is [the] pinnacle of a lot of people’s careers, you know, playing in a World Cup, representing their country, and that’s what I’m here to do. I’m going to do the best I can representing this country and hope I make everyone back home proud. That’s all I can really do. And I think as long as I do that, I can walk home proud.”

Pulisic might not need to carry the burden of the full team’s chances upon his back alone this time, but he is certainly expected to be among their most pivotal players this tournament. Many pundits have him tabbed for a breakout series of performances as the historically young and talented American team makes a splash.

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After the Monday game against Wales, England and Iran wait for the U.S. team. Pulisic and a hopeful new generation will be playing to change the minds of the world.