This celebration was special!
In the Americans’ 5-1 victory over Panama, Chelsea star Christian Pulisic (23) shot himself into a veritable frenzy of goals. The ex-Dortmunder snapped the Americans to victory almost single-handedly with a hat-trick.
But Pulisic didn’t set the stage for the evening with a goal – but with a celebration!
After his penalty goal to make it 4-0, the winger sprinted to the corner flag and unpacked a worm cheer! He lay on his stomach and wormed his upper body and then his legs in the air like a worm.
At first, the strange jubilation caused astonishment. After the game, Pulisic revealed the reason for the worm dance.
The US captain: “Yesterday I met a very special person. His name is Mason and his only request was that if I score a goal he would like to see a worm cheer. That’s what I did it for.”
Mason Ogle (15) attended the US team game with his family and met Pulisic beforehand. Ogle suffers from osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer disease. Because of the disease, Mason has already had to undergo chemotherapy and wears a knee prosthesis.
With the Wurm jubilation, Pulisic fulfilled a big wish. Ogle mom Jaclyn wrote on Twitter: “My son who is battling cancer asked him to do this. An evening we will never forget! He put the biggest smile on our boy’s face and we will always remember that.”
The Wurm celebration and the Pulisic hat-trick also helped the Americans immensely. The USA are as good as qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. Only a six-goal defeat on Thursday in Costa Rica would send the Americans into the playoffs.