Borussia Dortmund's Mathis Albert makes history as USA's youngest ever goalscorer
Having starred on his debut for the USMNT days ago, Mathis Albert etched his name in the history books on Tuesday. The 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward became the youngest player to ever score for the US National Team in their 4-2 win over Chile.
At 17 years, four months, and eight days old, Albert - who had come on as a substitute in the 71st minute - displaced a former Dortmund player as the record holder. Previously, Christian Pulisic (17 years, eight months, and eleven days) had held the record as the youngest goalscorer in the history of the US men's national team.
Following a free kick in stoppage time, Albert's close-range effort struck the crossbar and bounced just over the goal line to set the milestone with his side's fourth goal of the evening.
It was the second time in days Albert had made a big impact from the bench in a US jersey, after his debut against Peru on Saturday.
With the score level at 1-1, Mauricio Pochettino introduced the Borussia Dortmund youngster in place of former BVB and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna shortly after the hour mark.
It proved an inspired change, as an explosive burst down the left took the teenager clear before Jesús Pretell brought him down near the edge of the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot, allowing Bayer Leverkusen's Malik Tillman to restore the hosts' lead in the 66th minute.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino was clearly impressed, saying: "His first action on the pitch? Boom - aggressive. Control the ball and immediately go forward."
The occasion marked another milestone in an eventful year for the starlet. In April, he became the youngest American player to appear in the Bundesliga, making his Dortmund bow against Freiburg aged 16 years, 11 months and five days. That saw him surpass a record previously held by Reyna, the very player he replaced against Peru.
Earlier this season, he also made his DFB Cup bow against HEBC Hamburg, playing the 90 minutes in a 5-0 win for the Bundesliga side. While he is not yet a regular starter in the Bundesliga, Albert's time will surely come for Dortmund in the coming weeks and months.
Albert will be hoping to make even more of an impact as this extended international break continues, with the USA still set to face Mexico (3 October) and Canada (6 October) in a series of friendly encounters.
Dortmund's Bundesliga campaign will then resume as they welcome Werder Bremen to the Westfalenstadion on 9 October, with Kovač's charges looking to extend their lead atop the league table.
