Christian Pulisic

To check out my full detailed book review - go here: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/03/01/book-review-pulisic-my-journey-so-far-ch...

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Growing up as a huge soccer fan in Central PA (in Hummelstown, PA) and being an avid player myself, and loving the indoor game especially, meant I grew up being a huge fan of the Harrisburg Heat.

My parents were both ushers at all of the home games – my dad’s section was 12 and my mom’s was 13 (the handicap ramp). Which meant I was there at every home game, and also meant, I got to meet a lot of the players when they were injured.

I also went to the Harrisburg Heat soccer camps every summer, so I got to meet many more players that way as well. My first year, when I was six years old, I got to meet Mark Pulisic, Bob Lilley, and Jim Pollihan. And I like to say that I’ve made life long friends with all three. All three are wonderful men. (We sadly lost Jim Pollihan just a bit ago.)

I can’t count the number of players we invited to our house over the years for supper, lunch, and just to hang out. Players like Mark, Bob, Scott Henderson, Todd Hoffard, John Kluba, Brian Chandler, David Bascome, Kumba, Mik, Chris Marinos, Mike Williams, and so many more that I can’t even remember.

My mother – a teacher in the Lower Dauphin School System – helped Mark Pulisic’s wife (and mother of Christian Pulisic) Kelley – get the paperwork and necessary filings done to be able to get her first teaching job. I can still remember being hoisted up on Mark’s shoulders at a summer camp because of hitting a bicycle kick in our “World Cup” game.

Over the years I got to meet Christian a few times as a kid, as well as Chase, and DeeDee (his half – brother and sister). I only got to meet Christian once after he started playing internationally.

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This was a fun, relatively quick read, despite its large formatted size. Its done via interviews with Christian throughout a few years, mainly over COVID. The book details his life growing up from Hershey, as well as his travels, trials, and tribulations from the various club teams.

The book comes packed with photographs, many taken by Kelley (Christian’s mom) herself. These help immerse the reader into his life, into his interviews, and gives you a perspective of Christian almost from birth.

As a local, and a big fan of the Harrisburg Heat growing up, it was neat to see some of the pictures that looked all too familiar. (Like the picture of his dad holding him in DeeDee in his Harrisburg Heat uniform after his final game; the jersey of which is hanging in my office.) Or pictures of him playing soccer at Keller Fields (a local park where I also played many of my earliest games at). As well as pictures of Lebanon Valley College where Mark and Kelley both coached, and where Mark had his own soccer camps at – which my sister and I attended.

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To read more of the book review go here: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/03/01/book-review-pulisic-my-journey-so-far-ch...… (mehr)