Ask any vague football fan what the most important element to a young player’s development is and they will likely all tell you the same thing: opportunity. No player learns and grows and improves without playing. It is imperative.
It was for this reason that many U.S. Men’s National Team fans were rather concerned when Christian Pulisic signed for Chelsea last January — and eventually made the move in the summer after a six-month loan stint in Dortmund. Chelsea are not renowned for their youth development, despite their loan army, and there were justified worries that Pulisic would be lost in the crowd.