MLS Sporting Kansas City

John Pulskamp Joins U.S. Olympic National Team

Published on October 8, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp has joined the U.S. Men's Olympic National Team for a domestic training camp in Phoenix highlighted by friendly matches against Mexico on Oct. 11 and Japan on Oct. 17 at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium.

Pulskamp is part of a U-23 squad that will train in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics next summer in France. The U.S. qualified for its first Olympic tournament in 16 years by winning the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship in dominant fashion.

U.S. Men's Olympic National Team Match Schedule

Wednesday, Oct. 11 vs. Mexico (9 p.m. CT)

Tuesday, Oct. 17 vs. Japan (9:30 p.m. CT)

Pulskamp, 22, is poised for his first national team involvement since joining the U.S. senior national team for a training camp in December 2021. The goalkeeper previously competed at a U.S. U-18 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.

Sporting Kansas City is owned by Sporting Club, an entity comprised of local business and community leaders. Sporting prides itself on a commitment and vision to provide high-performance experiences. Sporting Club purchased the team from the Hunt Sports Group in 2006, and under its direction has launched Swope Soccer Village, Children's Mercy Park, Compass Minerals Sporting Fields, Compass Minerals National Performance Center and Central Bank Sporting Complex while investing in the Sporting KC Academy and Sporting Kansas City II for developing local youth into homegrown talent. A charter member of Major League Soccer, Sporting are two-time MLS Cup champions (2000, 2013) and four-time winners of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017).

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