Christian Pulisic is one of the best American soccer players alive.
Christian Pulisic is one of the nicest American athletes alive, too.
Pulisic buried a kick into the back of the net in the USMNT win yesterday. He proceeded to do a pretty okay version of ‘the worm’ that got the attention of many on the internet. The unusual celebration wasn’t particularly pretty but it stole the show.
The worm celebration was a request from 15-year-old fan Mason Ogle — who has been diagnosed with a form of bone cancer.
You’re crying. I’m not crying. To the tape.
His mother took to social media to share the message about his actions.
“We’re so happy he surprised our honoree Mason Ogle with this!,” she posted. “He’s been through so much since his osteosarcoma diagnosis in 2017. It was the best therapy!”
In case you wanted to cry more, here is additional information about Mason.
Mason is a passionate soccer fan who began playing organized soccer as a three-year-old. In 2017, he began to notice pain in his knee but remained focused on a very competitive soccer season that culminated in Mason scoring the game-winning goal in overtime for his team’s championship match. Mason was diagnosed with osteosarcoma shortly after that game and spent the following year undergoing chemotherapy and recovering from limb salvaging surgery.
Unfortunately, Mason has dealt with two recurrences of cancer since his initial diagnosis and has undergone additional surgeries to remove tumors from his lungs. Despite the uncertainty of a healthy future, he is living the life of a busy high school senior. Mason’s extracurriculars include supporting his cross country team as a manager and participating in his school’s drama and improv clubs. He is also finding ways to prove his doctors wrong about never playing soccer again. Mason stays active with his high school team by attending open gym and playing in small-sided scrimmages in anticipation of the spring soccer season.
Mason, his father, and his brother Chase traveled to Orlando, Florida for a match day experience courtesy of the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Ogles were invited to attend a closed training session and meet the team and then attended a pivotal CONCACAF FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Panama on March 27, 2022.
Pulisic addressed the celebration after the win, as well. He was humbled in saying, “I met someone really special yesterday. His name was Mason, and his one request was that if I scored, he wanted to see the worm celebration.”
Good on you.
If you want to donate to the CW Fund to help folks like Mason, you can do that here.
