In life, when unique opportunities present themselves, it's important to grasp those chances. For Lebanon Valley's head men's soccer coach Charlie Grimes, it's all about making the most of those irreplaceable moments.

You may not recognize the name Christian Pulisic, but the Hershey native is turning heads in the soccer world overseas where the 17-year old plays for Borussia Dortmund, Germany's No. 2 team behind the famed Bayern Munich club. Christian and his father, Mark, moved to Germany last year and since then, Christian has moved to Dortmund's first team and is playing regularly for the club.

     

Mark was the previous head coach at LVC until Grimes, an assistant from 2002-04, took over the duties in 2005. Grimes has known Mark and Christian for many years, and he's watched Christian grow into an incredible soccer player. "It was just a fantastic experience," said Grimes. "Getting to see a good friend of mine and his son, who obviously I've known since he was a little tike." "Now that he's playing at the highest level in the world just presents a really unique opportunity."

     

Grimes took the trek across the Atlantic from April 25-May 3 and was his second visit to Germany, as he visited Christian and Mark last year when Christian was just 16 and not on the first team yet. Throughout his time spent in Germany, Grimes was able to visiting the training grounds, watching the professional teams train, and coach some youth players. "It was a lot of soccer 24/7, but that's what I wanted," said Grimes. "Going to the training grounds and watching Christian work out with these world class players."

In addition to watching the team practice, Grimes was able to attend a game where Dortmund defeated Wolfsburg by a 5-1 score. "There were 83,000 people in the stadium and the atmosphere three or four hours before the game out on the streets, through the entire game, and afterwards is unlike anything you can experience here in the sports world in the United States."

     

The sights and sounds of Germany were unforgettable, but it's the knowledge gained from being around a professional soccer team that Grimes says will help LVC's men's soccer team going forward. "Being able to share with the players here the things that I'm getting to see there, hear, and learn is invaluable," said Grimes. "While we can't do everything exactly the same that they do over there, there are a lot of little details that I pick up that we certainly try to implement here, on and off the field."

Dortmund's culture and the way each player, coach, and trainer go about their business is something that Grimes was very appreciative of. "Every person came up and shook my hand, whether it was a 9-10 year old, professional player, coach, or grounds worker." "Over the last two years, the atmosphere has made a big impression on me."

With summer now just about in full swing, Grimes is looking forward to the break and getting back on the pitch for preseason here at LVC in late August.