Pulisic's move to Chelsea adds interest from United States

Christian Pulisic's transfer to Chelsea is likely to spark unprecedented interest in his progress over in the United States, writes Adam Bate.

At the Tir Na Nog pub in the heart of Philadelphia sandwiched between Benjamin Franklin Parkway and John F Kennedy Boulevard, they are expecting a few more faces at the next early morning get together of the Philly Blues. This is the match-day meeting place of Chelsea's official supporters club in Pennsylvania - and one of their own is now a Blue.

This is not news to his fans in the United States, where he is already the face of the game. The golden boy of US soccer, Pulisic became the youngest captain of the men's national team and was recently named young player of the tournament at the Gold Cup. For Bharat Ramprasad of Philly Blues, the signing is already ramping up the interest levels.

"For him to choose Chelsea was massive," Ramprasad tells Sky Sports. "It immediately set off a number of very excited conversations amongst Blues supporters in Philadelphia. He has connections to the Philadelphia region - his hometown of Hershey is just a few hours' drive away - which makes it even more impactful for those of us that live in the region.

"Some of our supporters watched him play when he was growing up and they have children that may have lined up against him in youth matches and so on. To have a 'local' boy who will now feature for Chelsea is incredible and not something that I would have thought possible when I first started following the club."

"He is the star and most popular member of the U.S. men's team by some margin and Chelsea's support in the States will absolutely benefit from that. To have someone who at the age of 20 is already being talked about as the most talented men's soccer player in U.S. history play for Chelsea is absolutely massive for interest in the club."