Rather than at the World Cup in Russia a month later, the competitive part of Christian Pulisic's season ended with a 3-1 defeat in Hoffenheim on May 12. Borussia Dortmund's woeful trip to provincial region of Kraichgau was perhaps a fitting denouement: Overall, 2017-18 has been a frustrating 10 months for the 19-year-old American and his two teams.
After a superb start, which featured six wins in seven league games, autumn brought a raft of painful defeats that saw BVB coach Peter Bosz, a proponent of a radical pressing game, lose his job. Meanwhile and despite Pulisic's best efforts, the United States fell apart in World Cup qualifying.