The Copa America Centenario might be the highest-profile event for the US national team this year, but could some of the USA’s newest faces be there?
To hear coach Jurgen Klinsmann tell it, the 17-year-old Christian Pulisic is making a clear case to be there, along with the likes of rookie Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris.
Pulisic has been on fire with Borussia Dortmund lately, on Sunday becoming the youngest non-German goalscorer in Bundesliga history, scoring first in a 3-0 win for Dortmund over Hamburg. He also started in Borussia’s last two matches.
“For Christian, obviously it's been a very exciting ride over the last couple of months, scoring his first goal for Dortmund, starting a game in the Bundesliga, getting valuable minutes in that very, very intense environment," Klinsmann said, in a video posted Thursday to his Facebook page. "He sends messages out towards what happens with the national team as well.”
“We are just weeks away from the Copa America – the biggest competition in the United States since 1994's World Cup. So he makes himself a case.”
Pulisic wasn’t the only young up-and-comer Klinsmann named as pushing for a spot on the Copa America roster.
Morris, 21, who scored his first MLS goal for Seattle over the week also got the nod, along with DeAndre Yedlin, 22, who transferred from Seattle to the English Premier League last year. Yedlin has started in Sunderland’s last eight EPL matches.
"It's definitely good to see young players like Christian, or like Jordan Morris, or other ones,” Klinsmann said. “DeAndre Yedlin playing almost every game for Sunderland from the beginning on. They are coming out really strong and sending a message to their coach in the US: 'I want to be in the Copa America.' "
