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United States and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic has been voted the 2017 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. Pulisic, 19, becomes the youngest winner in the award's history, beating out Landon Donovan, who was 21 when he won the award in 2003. "I just want to thank everyone who voted for me to win U.S. Male Player of the Year," Pulisic said in a video posted on social media. "It's something I never could have imagined, to be here in this position and I'm just really thankful to everyone who supported me along the way and I'm excited for the future." Pulisic received 94 percent of the votes, which were cast by a group that included men's national players that earned a cap in 2017, men's national team and youth national team coaches, Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and United Soccer League head coaches, as well as select former players, administrators and media members. Pulisic's victory was not a surprise. In a year in which the U.S. men failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Pulisic was one of the few players to emerge with his reputation intact. Pulisic's sudden rise has seen him become the new face of U.S. Soccer both on and off the field since bursting onto the scene last year. He was the U.S. team's biggest offensive contributor with six goals and four assists in nine matches. In the matches he played, he was either directly or indirectly involved in 13 of the 17 goals the U.S. scored. "It's something I would have never imagined. But it's something I've had to deal with at a young age and I'm kind of coming to terms with it, where I stand with the team and in the U.S.," he told Fox Sports of his rise to prominence. "It's something that I'm definitely still learning through and I have the best people to help me through it and yeah, definitely still learning but something I'm comfortable with." With Dortmund, Pulisic tallied three goals and three assists in 25 league and cup appearances during his first full season with the club. And Pulisic, who was able to join the German side as a 16-year-old in 2015 because he has a Croatian passport, urged more promising American talents to follow in his footsteps and develop their skills in Europe. "I absolutely think it's the best thing for younger kids to develop," he said. "Obviously it's the decision I made and I don't regret it at all. "I mean, you can see where I've come and how far I've come, and right now I think it's the best way to develop, to play against the best and I think that's what I'm doing and I would encourage other kids to do if they want to ... do what I'm doing."
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