Pulisic's First Professional Goal

 On This Day in 2016, the Teenager Scored His First Dortmund Goal in the Victory over Hamburg

When Christian Pulisic scored his first Bundesliga goal against Hamburg SV, it wasn't just a personal milestone but a moment that signaled America's arrival on European soccer's biggest stage.

For the 17-year-old from Hershey, Pennsylvania, the journey to that historic goal began years earlier in the most unlikely of places: a tiny English village called Tackley, eight miles north of Oxford. It was there, at age seven, that Pulisic truly fell in love with the sport while his mother completed a Fulbright scholarship.

"It was only one year, but if you look back, it was what propelled him into playing the game," his father, Mark Pulisic, explained. "Christian went and played for a nearby club team called Brackley Town. The coach, Robin Walker, was a real influence... Christian really fell in love, became obsessed with the sport."

After returning to America, Pulisic refined his skills at PA Classics, one of the first U.S. Soccer Development Academies. By 15, Pulisic boldly decided to move to Germany, facilitated by his Croatian heritage that allowed him to obtain European citizenship. In January 2016, after impressing in Dortmund's youth teams with 10 goals and eight assists in just 15 games, he was called up to join the first team over winter break.

His rise was meteoric. On January 30, 2016, he made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute against Ingolstadt. By February, he had appeared in the UEFA Europa League. After impressing manager Thomas Tuchel in the fierce Revierderby against Schalke on April 10, Pulisic earned another start the following week against Hamburg.

That April 17 Sunday at Signal Iduna Park, with Dortmund still reeling from a heartbreaking Europa League exit to Liverpool days earlier, Pulisic seized his moment in the 38th minute. After a clever short corner, captain Mats Hummels delivered a perfect pass, and the American teenager struck confidently, beating goalkeeper René Adler at the near post to open the scoring in what would become a 3-0 victory.

"It's an amazing feeling to get my first goal. Mats put in a great pass to set me up," Pulisic said. "It's hard to put into words what it felt like to score."

The goal made him the youngest non-German and fourth-youngest player ever to score in the Bundesliga at 17 years and 212 days old. "I am just happy. It's a great feeling to have scored my first competitive goal. It's just outstanding," he said after the match. "It's unbelievable. I am lost for words, can't really explain it."

Pulisic's breakthrough came at a pivotal time for Dortmund. He helped them maintain pressure on league leaders Bayern Munich while bouncing back from their European disappointment. His performance suggested Dortmund had uncovered another star—just as reports circulated that midfielder Ilkay Gündogan might be departing for Manchester City.

The teenager's historic moment against Hamburg was just the beginning. Six days later, Pulisic scored again in a match against VfB Stuttgart, breaking another Bundesliga record by becoming the youngest player to score two goals in the top-flight German league.

With the German Cup semifinal against Hertha Berlin looming just days after his first goal, Pulisic remained humble despite his growing importance to the team. "We've got many good players, I can't make any claims. I am just happy about every minute I can be on the pitch," he said, though his performances made an increasingly compelling case for more playing time.

For American soccer fans, Pulisic's emergence represented something more significant than individual achievement—it was proof that an American teenager could compete and excel at the highest level of European football. The goal against Hamburg wasn't just the first entry in what would become an impressive scoring record—it was the moment when Christian Pulisic announced to the world that American soccer had arrived on the global stage.