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My late doctor was a soccer player. Former captain of Guatemala. Played professionally in Mexico while in med school. Dr. Kenneth Ewing used to tell me he drove east on the Long Island Expressway to watch weekend games in Latino neighborhoods. “Those kids play better than our national players” the doctor said. What he meant was that young players had moves they learned from their fathers and uncles and brothers, playing the game they knew and loved. I used to argue with him, or rationalize. Not a good idea against an old defender. I was thinking of the good doctor Friday night when I witnessed Christian Pulisic’s bag of tricks against Panama. The kid – 19 – has somehow shrugged off the volunteer coaches with an instructional book in one hand who urge the lads to cut all the fancy stuff and boot the ball upfield. (“Stay back, you’re a midfielder!”) Pulisic went to Dortmund at an early ago and German coaches fortified rather than nullified his instincts. (What John Thompson, when he coached Georgetown basketball, used to scornfully call “The Boogaloo” – meaning that fancy stuff would immediately earn a seat on the bench.) Christian Pulisic employed The Old Boogaloo against Panama on Friday night in a game the United States needed or face four years of shame. But the kid and his mates (and, yes, Coach Bruce Arena, with his go-for-it formation) staved off disgrace with a 4-0 victory that puts them in good position to play in Port of Spain Tuesday night and wrap up an eighth straight trip to the World Cup in 2018. The best move was on the second goal. Pulisic had scored the first one. Now he took a luscious lead pass down the left side and busted downfield, with poorly-placed defenders trying to catch up. One of them tried to square up against Pulisic and the kid performed a series of fakes and false starts, dragging his rear leg while actually accelerating. He turned the corner, lashed a lefty pass toward the goal where Jozy Altidore put it away. First time I saw moves like that was, as a kid, watching the old New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference in Yankee Stadium, late ‘40s, when a little chunk of a scatback named Buddy Young, out of Illinois, practitioner of The Boogaloo, would jitter around defenses. Lovely man, Buddy Young, passed too soon. Wouldn’t I like to tell him he has a spiritual grandson, out of Hershey, Pa., who somehow escaped the inhibitions of local American soccer coaching to help win an absolutely vital match. Pulisic’s story is just beginning. Opponents in regional play hack him cynically; I hope officiating in the Bundesliga is tighter. Bless all the lovely players who have taken the U.S. this far – Claudio Reyna, Tab Ramos, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, Jozy Altidore, you name ‘em. The U.S. has a kid who can stutter-step. I’d love to hear my doctor react to that. * * * Best piece I’ve seen on Pulisic was written by Jacob Klinger 15 months ago: http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/christian_pulisic_us_soccer.html  Buddy Young Lost His Helmet but Never His Balance
Michael
10/7/2017 10:17:38 am
Hi George. Good to see the USA bust out last night. I love when you cover the beautiful game! Heading to Costa Brava (Catalonia!!!) Wednesday. Meeting a Catalan soccer friend (lifelong Espanyol supporter) for the newly promoted Girona v Villarreal match in Girona’s 15,000 capacity venue next Sunday. I’ll send you a pic or two. Warm regards, Michael
George Vecsey
10/7/2017 10:26:13 am
Michael, great to hear from you. Yeah, I've been distracted by other "public events" in past year. But I am obsessive about USMNT perils. 10/9/2017 11:04:30 am
Michael--you are in for a treat. The Costa Brava area is a delightful area to visit. Girona is a gem. Try to view the city at night from the other side of the river and catch the reflections of the old buildings in the water.
Mendel
10/8/2017 04:05:15 am
Attending first ever soccer match in Jerusalem this week. Israel-Spain. Watch the ball? Defenders? Midfielders? Help!
George Vecsey
10/8/2017 09:14:09 am
Mendel, Shalom:
Mendel
10/10/2017 04:07:33 am
After sneaking into the King David hotel and squatting in the lobby for 2 hours to take selfies with the Spaniards - we ordered fries and Pelegrino - I attended my first ever football match with my three sons. In the 30,000 seat Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem the action was easy to follow. Oh so different than the Knicks in MSG or the NYM at Shea. I have been soccer-converted.
George Vecsey
10/10/2017 09:05:48 am
Mendel, just caught up with the 1-0 score. Valiant by home boys.
charlie vincent
10/8/2017 12:51:42 pm
Well done all around, of course, but I especially liked your shoutout to the young men who struggled and endured in the early stages of the national team renaissance; I was privileged to be among the US press contingent in Italy during difficult days for the American side
George Vecsey
10/9/2017 09:51:43 am
Hey, Charlie, great to hear from you. How did you fare in the hurricane? Hope your lake area was okay. 10/9/2017 11:38:03 am
Jacob Klinger's article on Pulisic correctly addresses one of the major problems with youth soccer in the United States. There is too much emphasis on winning and not enough on player development. Instinctive players are usually squelched in the coach's desire for conformity. Fortunately, the obsession to funnel plays into elite programs are being countered with a growing "let them play and be themselves" movement.
charlie vincent
10/14/2017 11:31:41 am
Thanks for your concern, George. We had no problem with the hurricane. We are about 45 minutes northwest of Austin; two of my brothers, who live in Victoria -- where we grew up -- had only minor damage but were without electricity and water for more than a week.
George Vecsey
10/9/2017 12:15:28 pm
Alan, thanks for reading Jacob's piece. He has done some really good stuff for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg. Pulisic had the moves as a kid and his parents know the sport and they sent him where he could develop -- Dortmund. That is not the answer for most young players, of course, but those "elite" programs can be cold, and teach kids the wrong lessons -- a team sport is really about looking good for college coaches scouting in the stands. Teamwork -- even simple camaraderie and leadership from within -- is minimized.
Sgc
10/10/2017 09:58:10 am
I was going to mention his parents as one of the ingredients in the secret sauce. His parents knew the game better than his youth coaches did, and limited his time in the structured programs too early. Marc also was an indoor pro, exposing Christian to pros at a young age.
George Vecsey
10/10/2017 11:57:05 am
Informal, watching, "by himself." When I was a kid, I watched Brooklyn Dodgers and Knicks, and practiced moves alone. Helps if one is an athlete which I was not, but the rare kid with talent like Pulisic has already imaged circumstances. Somebody once asked Jordan about a dunk during a game. Did he just come up with it? Jordan gave the guy a look. Said he had made that move 1,000 times in the gym. Betcha Pulisic practiced those moves alone -- not with a coach yelling at him to stop showboating. GV
Andy Tansey
10/11/2017 07:25:31 am
Perhaps if USMNT could have provided Christian with some service last night, they'd play in Russia 2018. I am very sad today. One joke was that they have done their best to avoid a visit to the White House.
GV
10/11/2017 01:38:01 pm
Andy: nice to hear from you. GV 10/9/2017 12:53:21 pm
Thanks for the kind words.
Mendel
10/10/2017 12:30:03 pm
Difficult to judge player friendliness in the hotel before the game, as handlers and hotel security did their part to keep us at bay. During the game, however, in an early exchange, Ramos and Nacho played headers back and forth over Tomer Hemed, in what was obviously gratuitous showboating. Pretty soon afterwards, Eliran Atar dropped Ramos with some fancy footwork, getting the best of him before a cheering home crowd. Compared to what I see on TV the Spanish celebration after they scored at 76:00 was quite tame.
Joshua Rubin
10/10/2017 05:28:07 pm
RE: My dad's advice to attackers to always follow the ball until controlled by the keeper: 10/11/2017 08:11:39 am
The loss to T & T was a disappointment that could be seen coming. I hope it triggers some realistic and honest soul searching. Comments are closed.
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