ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Though Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner is keeping quite busy as the first American to face the perils and pressures of being a head coach in England, he still managed to take positive notice of former pupil Christian Pulisic's encouraging Bundesliga debut.
The German-American coach arrived from Borussia Dortmund II in November to take over for the Terriers, who were struggling in the Championship grind. Wagner has gone 5-6-2 in league play since then, while also installing his soccer philosophy.
Despite all that work, Wagner did catch Pulisic's solid 22-minute debut in a leave-it-late victory over Alfredo Morales' Ingolstadt last weekend and came away unsurprised. The coach got to know the attacking midfielder's capabilities well from having worked with the youngster in Dortmund.
"It wasn't a surprise for me," Wagner told MLSsoccer.com of Pulisic's solid BvB unveiling. "I spoke with [US manager] Jurgen Klinsmann maybe a year ago and we spoke about Christian's quality, unbelievable quality for his age.
"I expected he would play in the Bundesliga, but that it was so quick is great for him. He's one of the biggest talents I've seen play in Germany."
Wagner, who scored once in eight US national team caps, keeps track of Klinsmann's work with the current edition when he can. Despite being far outside the USMNT bubble, he's been able to form a view of the big picture.
"I'm interested in how they work and what they've tried to create," he said of Klinsmann's staff. "I think they also have a long-term project and I hope everybody stays patient with it. They have a lot of good players from different cultures, so it's a great opportunity to create something special."
The 44-year-old, who grew up near Frankfurt, knows a thing or two about international-level qualities. In addition to Pulisic, Wagner coached US attackers Terrence Boyd and Joseph Gyau at Dortmund.
At Huddersfield, he has talented young American playmaker Duane Holmes. The Georgia native, who has enjoyed dramatically increased opportunities under Wagner, scored his first Championship goal last month.
"He's mobile and quick, he's able to break lines, able to score," Wagner rated. "I think for him it's important to be consistent. This is one of the things he has to work on, but he's a big talent."
Wagner supports including the 21-year-old in the US Olympic squad mix should they qualify from a series against Colombia in March. He says Holmes can meet that level of play.
"I think so," he nodded. "Maybe he can get an invitation in the future."
As to whether his crystal ball tells of another spell in the US as a coach, Wagner cannot say.
"I learned as a professional not to look too much forward, to stay in the present, to look forward only one week," he said, laughing. "On the other side, I learned that everything can happen. Six months ago, I never expected that I could be here in England. I'm open for everything."
For now, he's trying to get 17th-place Huddersfield to raise their game. Wagner says the players have responded to his request for a work increase across the pitch.
"We've developed the right way, so I'm very positive about the future," said Wagner, crediting his squad for latching onto his program well. "We've taken the first steps like we wanted, now we need to take the next one. To create our own identity, to play with speed and a lot of passion. We like to create from the defense to the offense, we like to win the ball back immediately when we've lost it.
"We have double sessions once a week, often twice a week. We have morning training before kick off on the day of a game, so there have been some changes."
At the same time, Wagner realizes he can't do his job the same as in Dortmund. He's phased in alterations amid the quirks of managing in England.
"The game schedule, the training schedule, the technical side [are different here]," said Wagner. "It's interesting for me to take the best of both sides and put it together to see what works."
