The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Christian Pulisic - Becoming the Face of American Soccer

Episode Date: November 22, 2022

Soccer star Christian Pulisic talks why he’s called “Captain America” and how he’s passing down the love of the game to kids in his hometown. Originally aired: June 16, 2021 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Christian Pulisic, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you so much for having me. You know, you are not only one of the most celebrated football players in the world right now, soccer players in the world right now. You are also one of my favorite players to play with in FIFA because you are insanely fast and you just get the job done. You make history every time you step on the pitch. I mean you are now the only

and the first American to win a champions league and then within the space of eight days you go on to win another championship for USA and you kick the winning penalty kick. Let's talk a little bit about the journey of Christian Pulasik. What does it feel like right now? Are you, have you even soaked in everything that you've achieved in the space of like, what, three weeks? I don't think I have yet. I'm really just trying to take it all in. It's been an unreal journey, honestly.

I can't believe that's I've got to this point so soon, but I honestly just just just just just just just just just just just just just just just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just feel just to to gone at the title of Captain America. That's what the fans call you, that's what the media calls you, and I think for good reason because you have come to be the face of American soccer in the world. And people love you for it. Because for so long, people are like, oh, Americans don't care about soccer, they don't like soccer, but you have this passion in the world. What do you think it is about the way you play the game and what you bring to the game that has made people fall in love with you and the way you play the game? It's tough to say. I think I just bring a different spark to the game than what a lot of people have seen from Americans in the past, I guess you could say. I'd like to be just creative and try and thin. I to th and I th and th and th and th in just just just just their thin. I thin. I thin. I thin. I thin. I thin. I thin. I thin. thin. thin. thin. thin. thin. to thin' thin' thin' the way the way thin' thin' the way the way the way the way the way the way way way way way way. the way way. the way. the way. the way. the way. the way. the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way the way. the way. the way. the way. thin. thin. thin. thin. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to theea. theanananan't to thea' thea. thi. thea. thea. the way think, you know, maybe Americans can do it. So I'm hoping I can also inspire others others to do it back home as well.

You know, I don't even think it's a maybe anymore. I mean, now you've just made it. It's only a matter of time. I remember when I was growing up, one of the biggest arguments we used to have was whether the USA could ever win a world. And we're always like like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the the thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the, the the the the the thi, the the the thr. the the the the the thr. the the thr. ththat. You've got teammates who are playing in some of the biggest teams in the world, which is a new generation for Team USA. Talk me through why you think this change has happened and what the dynamic has changed in the actual squad.

Absolutely, I mean, there were definitely American players who had played in Europe before and then guys that I even looked up to but I think in this new generation you're just seeing just a bunch of fearless guys just going for it in Europe. I don't know. I really just took a big risk moving to Germany for example and you know Weston for example and doing his thing in Germany then getting a move to Italy and I think it's just this new generation of just fearless soccer players. We just want to go out and prove to the world that Americans can do it, too. And I think that's why we're seeing such a, yeah, such a big jump. Well, you know what I've always appreciated about you is,

is every tia thea that to gonna make the most of every single minute that you came. Where do you get that from? And like, what is it about the game that inspires you to always want to do your best, even with the little time that you've given, that you've now increased to just being the star of many of your games? I think it's what you said. It's really just the step on the pitch. So that's really just what it is, and then just going out and trying to enjoy every moment. Because, you know, one minute, like you said, whether it's one or 90, you can change a game, and you can influence a game. And that's, that's always always always always always always always always always always, that's always, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's throwne. thi. that's throwne. that's throwne. throwne. th. thrown. that's thathea. thathea. th. that. that. that. that. that's that. thi. th. th. that's th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. that's really that's really that's really that's really thea. the. the game for yourself, but you have a joy for the game for others. You know, you come from Hershey, Pennsylvania, you just plowed yourself into the game of soccer,

you're like, I'm going to do this thing, I'm going to make it as far as I can. You've gone to the, you know, to the top of the game. Twenty-two years old, you still have to have, you., the whole the whole the whole the whole the whole to have to have the whole to have the whole to have the whole to have the whole to have the whole to have your the whole the whole to have the whole, to have to have their to to to to to to to to their to plowed. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to play to play to plo, to plo, to plo, to plo, to plo, to pl. You. You. You, to pl. You. You, to pl. You. You. You, to pl. You. to pl. You, their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their shea. their. their. their. the the their sr-s, theirsee. theirsee. tooe, tooe, their. too, the way for others to follow in your footsteps. So talk to me about what you're doing, what's happening. I know you started sort of like an academy, you've started like a training program. What are you doing and what are you hoping to achieve with this? Yes, so I'm really excited that I was able to help my hometown club, Academy, PA Classics, to know, new fields for these kids. There's like multiple miniature fields that these kids can kind of just go play on.

There's another field where there's a nice kick wall, some skills, challenges and stuff. And it's really just an area that I hope the kids can just go to it and have fun sometimes without coaches, sometimes without because that's growing up. I think that's what I missed out on in the states where after school you just, you you you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, the the the the the the, without, because that's growing up, I think that's what I missed out on in the states, where after school, you just, you know, the kids might go play basketball, they might go do these other things. Right, yeah.

It's just such a different culture. I think it was when I moved to England actually, when I was very young, I lived there for a year. And after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after after the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th...... th.... th. thi. the th. th. the th. th. th. the th. thi, the the kids, the kids, the the kids, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th............................. th. th. th. thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. to to to to to teeeeeeeeeeeeats. toeeats. teats. today, te. te. today, the the the kids the kids the ball around. And that's where I really started to love the game so much. So I hope that obviously just one, you know, small, you know, portion of it, but I hope that really inspired kids to just go out and want to play and have fun and maybe see my name on the court and think, you know, you know, I want to be like him. And thin, I want to be I to be I to be I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I to be, I they. they. they. they. th. tho. thi. that, that, that, that, thi. thi, that, obviously, obviously, obviously, obviously, obviously, obviously, obviously, obviously, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the, you. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. thoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, you. th. thooooooooooooo. th. th. th. th. th would be the goal. Well you know what, you're so young that not only could they try be like you, they could probably meet you in the league and then

you could beat them in the final and then remind them that you made it all possible for them. But Christian, thank you so much for joining me man. Congratulations on everything you're doing. Thank you for your passion for the game. Thank you for bringing it to the the fans fans the your medals and everything that's still to come. Thanks so much. Thank you for having me. Watch the Daily Show, Weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus.

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.