Do you know what’s the best part about soccer countries like Argentina, Brazil, or Portugal? Beyond their immaculate soccer cultures, they get to claim who will be their next Lionel Messi, Pele, or Cristiano Ronaldo. But what about other countries, like the United States? When will U.S. soccer fans proudly make such statements? Well, Christian Pulisic has shared a ‘next-level’ plan for his nation’s youth system, referencing his Borussia Dortmund transfer, so they may one day get to claim the next Pulisic!

Though one may agree that the US has endured significant growth in terms of the beautiful game, they still lag behind many intricacies, which, according to the AC Milan forward, if fulfilled, then there’s no stopping his nation from becoming one of the powerhouses to produce remarkable talents. “I think for me, it was definitely the best thing to do to go over to Europe at the time, that first year in Germany when I left home,” began Pulisic on ESPN FC’s The Pat McAfee Show.

“It was a big sacrifice for me and I realized that these kids that I was competing with didn’t want anything to do with me. They were thinking, ‘This guy’s coming to take my place; that’s not going to happen,'” remarked the 26-year-old, which also echoes the kind of biases the former Chelsea man faced while making his way into the European setup (and something he continues to face to this day).

What Pulisic did is that he decided to give up the typical life that any American teenager would live and joined Borussia Dortmund’s academy. So is this something that every teenager from his nation should do? While we’ll call it the divine route of becoming a pro, the best way for the US to grow as a soccer nation and develop the foundation of their grassroots is also by fostering such a competitive mindset that he saw in European teenagers.

“There was a competitiveness at 15 years old in the academies that I had never experienced before. And I think that’s what it’s going to take to get us to the next level—that kind of competition every day and that fight. I just never saw it in the US quite at that level but with that being said, I think the academies have come a long way,” concluded Pulisic.

So it seems that Pulisic wants his nation’s grassroots and more youth levels to develop such strong mindsets that are typically seen in foreign countries. No wonder they also are a hub for the beautiful game, producing great talents. But Pulisic isn’t stopping from being that revolutionary change that America had needed the most.

Christian Pulisic is the key to notch things up for the US Soccer youth level

Admit, there’s hardly been a player that has done what Christian Pulisic has accomplished and, in fact, is still doing. An early move to Dortmund is what we would call his key to success, as it saw him shine for the Yellow and Black before further spreading his wings in Europe. His move to Chelsea, where the winger lifted prestigious trophies like the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, and even the FIFA Club World Cup, finally saw him move to AC Milan, where he found a new lease on life.

Such a journey shouldn’t be a no-brainer for aspiring American teenagers to put themselves out there and make their way into the professional world. Whether it’s ending up in a European powerhouse, excelling, and fighting for a spot, or working to create that atmosphere on home soil, the goal remains the same: to improve the nation’s youth soccer system.