Christian Pulisic is the truth. He's American. He's 18 years old. He's getting regular playing time for Borussia Dortmund, one of the best club teams in the world. He has a skill set that is unique within the United States Men's National Team talent pool. Did I mention he's 18 years old?

That said, it would be natural to have American phenom fatigue at this point. Freddy Adu, the icon great American teenage hope, debuted for the USMNT on Jan. 22, 2006 at the tender age of 16 years and 234 days. He'd already played 55 games in MLS for D.C. United, scoring 9 goals. The assumption was that he'd move onwards and upwards, taking the world by storm. Yet, by the time he turned 25 he'd already played for nine teams in six different countries. He hasn't played for the national team since 2011. Right now he's playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Soccer League. Not exactly the career arc he, or the American soccer world, was hoping for.