The kickoff for the 2022 Men’s World Cup is set to take place on November 20, in Qatar, which is located as far away from Michigan as possible.
However, it doesn’t imply that the Great Lake State will not have any representation. Well, sort of.
Although not numerous, Michigan does have some ties to this year’s World Cup, which includes a direct association with Christian Pulisic, a prominent forward for the US Men’s National Team, and his family.
Christian Pulisic played youth soccer in Michigan
The foremost male star of US Soccer hails from Pennsylvania, however, he did have some experience playing youth soccer in Michigan.
In 2006-07, Pulisic joined the Michigan Rush, coinciding with his father’s coaching role for the Detroit Ignition indoor soccer team.
His legendary tales of dominating multiple age divisions as an 8-year old are widely known.
After spending approximately seven years in Pennsylvania, he decided to return before joining the Borussia Dortmund youth team in Germany in 2015.
At the young age of 17, he had his inaugural team appearance for Dortmund in January 2016.
Currently, Pulisic is a member of Chelsea in the English Premier League, where he has accumulated a total of 20 goals over 86 appearances.
Can we attribute all of his soccer achievements to Michigan? Most likely not. Will that prevent us from asserting his association with Michigan regardless? Absolutely not.
Christian Pulisic’s dad coached the Detroit Ignition
Well, since there aren’t many links between Michigan and the World Cup, we’re including this one as well.
In the 2006-07 season, Mark Pulisic led the Ignition as their coach in their first year. They emerged victorious as the top team in the Major Indoor Soccer League II but unfortunately fell short in the championship game. Pulisic’s remarkable performance earned him the prestigious title of MISL Coach of the Year.
The Ignition competed at Compuware Arena in Plymouth for a span of three seasons, ultimately emerging victorious as champions of the Xtreme Soccer League in 2009.
Western Michigan graduate is a scout for USMNT
Eric Laurie, who hails from Michigan, serves as a scout and opponent analyst for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT).
From 2008-10, he was enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, followed by Western Michigan University from 2010-12.
During her time at Western, Laurie served as a soccer coach at Grace Christian University in Grand Rapids.
In April of this year, Laurie became a member of the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) after dedicating seven years to coaching and analyzing within Norway’s Molde FK organization.
Soccer bars in Michigan to watch the World Cup
You may be wondering, what is the connection here?
That’s what we believed: it is linking viewers’ eyes to the games, correct?
Watching soccer with friends is undeniably more enjoyable – who can overlook the memorable footage of fans celebrating collectively after Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria in 2010? Fortunately, there are numerous “soccer bars” across the state where you can gather and relish this experience.
Of course, there are other venues where you can enjoy a soccer match. Numerous sports bars and Michigan sportsbooks are expected to broadcast World Cup matches, providing ample opportunities for placing bets. However, the Premier League website specifically lists these eight locations.
- The address for Regents Field is 204 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor.
- The address for Conor O’Neill’s is 318 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor.
- The address of McShane’s Irish Pub in Detroit is 1460 Michigan Ave.
- The address for the Mercury Bar in Detroit is 2163 Michigan Ave.
- Royal Oak Brewery can be found at 215 E. Fourth St. in Royal Oak.
- The address for Thomas Magee’s Sporting House in Detroit is 1408 E. Fisher Service Dr.
- The address for the Detroit City Clubhouse is 3401 E. Lafayette St. in Detroit.
- The address for J’s Penalty Box is 22726 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale.
