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From Hershey, Pennsylvania to the biggest of stages, Christian Pulisic’s rise to stardom has come quicker than most imagined.

As a star with the youth national teams, the potential was there for him to be a key player for the U.S. senior squad, but at the age of 18, he is already the best player on the team by a fair distance. And on Friday night, he had his coming-out party.

In a vital World Cup qualifier against Honduras, the United States finally recorded points in the hexagonal, securing a dominant 6-0 victory. Pulisic did his part, scoring a fine goal, recording two assists and helping in two other goals. 

He was the main reason why the U.S. scored just minutes in by putting his shot on frame, with Sebastian Lletget grabbing the rebound. 

He then set Clint Dempsey up for the team’s third with this beautifully lofted pass:

And he got his goal, grabbed another assist and also was the player who won the foul on the free kick that Dempsey finished for his hat trick. Here’s Pulisic’s goal:

Now, we live in a society here in the states driven by statistics. If there isn’t a goal or an assist next to his name, he must have not made an impact, right? But that’s far from the case. You won’t see Pulisic score or record an assist in every match, but if you understand the game and watch what this kid does, it will blow you away.

The Dortmund star has a vision unmatched by anyone in this squad. On the ball, he is calm, creative and patient. If you just watch his movement, his awareness of what is around him, his ability to make a decision in less than a half a second, it’s what the best players in the world do. And for an 18-year-old American to do it? It’s unheard of. 

Look at the first goal of the game by Lletget. Pulisic’s shot was saved, but what he did before led to the goal. Sure, it was a nifty ball from Altidore, but look closely as Pulisic quickly asks for the ball by pointing, it gets sent to his other side, and he still reacts to get a shot on frame. That quick request of the ball, pointing to where he wants it and timing his run perfectly, it’s just class. 

That isn’t something your average 18-year-old professional does. The performance, having a hand in nearly all the goals -- a star was born. You may have noticed, Pulisic is wearing the No. 10 jersey. That is usually reserved for any team’s top player, the playmaker in attack. That is what Pulisic has become in a short time. 

The last player to bring this type of excitement to the U.S. men’s national team was Landon Donovan. Pulisic has the chance to be much, much better and is already far ahead of Donovan when he was 18. Friday night was just a sample of what he is now, a great young talent. And in the years to come, he has a chance to become one of the better European-based midfielders and lift the United States to heights it has never reached.

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