Pulisic leads USA to record win: Hummels reveals special BVB anecdote | OneFootball

Two former BVB pros are in the spotlight as the USA open their World Cup campaign against Paraguay. While Christian Pulisic shines, Mats Hummels draws smiles with a special anecdote about the US captain.

The USA made a real statement at their home World Cup. With an impressive 4-1 win over Paraguay, Mauricio Pochettino’s team celebrated the highest victory by the US men’s national team at a World Cup. At the center of the successful opener was former BVB pro Christian Pulisic.

The hosts’ captain looked dangerous from the start and played a key role in ensuring the match was effectively decided before halftime. After an own goal by Damian Bobadilla and a brace from Folarin Balogun, the USA were already 3-0 up at the break. Pulisic did not get on the scoresheet himself, but he repeatedly directed the attack cleverly and helped set up numerous moves forward.

His day’s work still ended surprisingly early. After 45 minutes, Pochettino took his star player off. The reason was a blow to his left calf that Pulisic had picked up in the first half. However, the 27-year-old gave the all-clear immediately after the final whistle. Instead, he enjoyed the special atmosphere of the World Cup opener: “As an American, to have this crowd, all that red, white and blue, all those red and white stripes on the shirts — it was great.”

Hummels raves about him and his development at BVB

Mats Hummels was also impressed by the development of his former Dortmund teammate. Speaking on MagentaTV, the World Cup winner recalled that Pulisic’s exceptional talent had stood out long before his Bundesliga debut. “When he came up to the first team at BVB at 17, we already knew him as a squad because we often watched his age group,” Hummels explained.

Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

What the former Germany international especially appreciates, however, is Pulisic’s personality. “He was a great kid from the start, a great player, good pace in his dribbling, good drive toward goal,” Hummels praised.

An anecdote from their time together in Dortmund then provided another smile. To this day, Pulisic still regularly thanks him for the assist on his first professional goal. “Every single time he sees me, he says: Thanks for the assist on my first professional goal,” Hummels revealed with a laugh. The final touch on a successful evening was provided by another former Dortmund player. Giovanni Reyna, who moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer, scored in stoppage time to make it 4-1.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.