Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp has joined the U.S. Men’s Olympic National Team for friendly matches against Iraq on Nov. 18 and Morocco on Nov. 21 at Pinatar Arena in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain.
Following the 10-day training camp in Spain, Pulskamp will return to Kansas City ahead of Sporting’s Western Conference semifinal at Houston Dynamo FC on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. CT on FS1 and Apple TV.
U.S. Men’s Olympic National Team Schedule
- Saturday, Nov. 18 vs. Iraq (10 a.m. CT)
- Tuesday, Nov. 21 vs. Morocco (8 a.m. CT)
Pulskamp is part of a U.S. U-23 squad that will face Iraq and Morocco in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics next summer in France. Led by head coach Marko Mitrovic, the U.S. qualified for its first Olympic tournament in 16 years by winning the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
Pulskamp joins the U.S. Olympic Team for the second time this fall after appearing in two friendly matches last month in Phoenix, a 2-1 victory over Mexico and a 4-1 win against Japan. The 22-year-old previously trained with the U.S. senior national team at a California training camp in December 2021 following a breakout season in MLS.
As a youth international, Pulskamp represented the U.S. U-18s at a training camp in June 2018 at Compass Minerals National Performance Center—Sporting’s world-class training home in Kansas City, Kansas—before making his U.S. U-20 debut in a friendly against rivals Mexico on Jan. 18, 2020.
One of the best young goalkeepers in the country, Pulskamp has earned 10 clean sheets and posted a 13-12-8 record in 33 first-team appearances across all competitions since signing for the club in early 2020. He has played an additional 43 matches for Sporting Kansas City II since 2019, spread across the USL Championship and MLS NEXT Pro.
Pulskamp has kept clean sheets in four of his 10 appearances for Sporting this season, featuring in MLS, Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competitions. He also played nine MLS NEXT Pro matches for Sporting KC II, where he posted a 7-2 record and won both shootouts in which he participated. Over the course of Pulskamp’s professional career, opponents have failed to beat him from the penalty spot in the MLS regular season, MLS NEXT Pro, USL championship and U.S. Open Cup.
In 2022, Pulskamp hit MLS career highs with 12 games played, five wins and three shutouts, finishing the year with a 5-4-3 league record. He also helped Sporting reach the Open Cup semifinals, starting four matches during the club’s tournament run. Pulskamp made his MLS debut in April 2021 by becoming the third-youngest keeper in league history to win a regular season match in a 2-1 victory at the New York Red Bulls. He ended 2021 with a 3-2-1 record as an MLS starter.
Pulskamp arrived in Kansas City in 2019 after a two-year stint in the LA Galaxy Academy, where he competed at the U-17 and U-19 levels in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. During his time with the Galaxy, he also went on trial with English Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth in 2018. Prior to joining LA, he represented youth academies Real So Cal and Central California Aztecs in his home state.
Source : Sporting KC
