Hidden deep in an interview regarding his diet -- interesting reading in itself -- is a nugget from Jozy Altidore that shows the USMNT recognizes the unique talent of Christian Pulisic.
The 27-year-old Altidore has accolades in his own right, which makes his praise extra special. Altidore has a legit shot to chase down Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey as the USMNT’s all-time leading scorers, and has played in La Liga, the Premier League, and the Eredivisie.
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But when asked about Pulisic, the teenager with about 90 less caps and 30 less goals? Man, the kid is going to make a lot of guys want to be on the business end of his playmaking.
A guy like Christian, he’s young, he’s energetic. He’s pushing everybody to want to play a little bit longer and to make sure we make ourselves a little bit better because you want to be playing with those guys. They make our team better. They’re the players that the country is excited to have, and they’re the guys that are helping raise the profile and help our team improve. I mean, there’s nothing really crazy I’d change, but it’s just when you see them and you see how good they are, and how good they could become, it makes you want to stay at that level all the much longer. You want to be a part of the future and the good things that are still to come.
Truly high praise from Altidore, who continues to feast on MLS defenses.