Christian Pulisic was one of several USA World Cup stars who needed rescuing by the owner of a golf cart dealership after they were left stranded on a trip to grab pizza.
Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Alejandro Zendejas left the USA’s World Cup hotel near Laguna Beach on Father’s Day. They were enjoying a day off following the team’s 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle.
But a nasty crash on the Pacific Coast Highway left them with no obvious way to get home – one side of the road was shut, making it impossible for taxis to collect them.
It would have taken the players around 30 minutes to walk home in the baking Southern California sun. And, to make matters worse, Pulisic was still recovering from a calf injury that kept him out of the 2-0 win over Australia. McKennie, meanwhile, was in flip-flops.
But then, as revealed by ESPN, the players spotted SC Carts, a Dana Point business that deals in plush golf carts that are street-legal. Their customers include UFC stars Luke Rockhold and Khalil Rountree, as well as Alex Hall from ‘Selling the OC.’
Owner Cole Schamber told the Daily Mail that when Pulisic, McKennie and Zendejas turned up in casual clothes, carrying boxes of pizza, one of his colleagues ‘thought they were just some local kids that were fascinated by the golf carts and weren’t really interested customers.’
Christian Pulisic, Alejandro Zendejas and Weston McKennie were left stranded on a pizza trip
The USMNT players were rescued by Cole Schamber, the owner of SC Carts in California
But some passers-by asked for a photo with the players. ‘They actually hopped in one of our golf carts and took a picture with them,’ Schamber said.
He went out to see how he could help. ‘It was a great interaction. They were really nice guys,’ he said. Schamber returned to the office and told his colleague: ‘Yeah, those were people from the United States soccer team.’
The players asked about renting or even buying one of the carts – for around $9,000 – and then shipping it back to Pulisic’s home in Florida. They were eyeing up the Voyager Patriot and Bintelli Nexus – ‘both still available if they change their minds,’ Schamber joked on social media.
‘[But] I think they realized by the end of our interaction that it probably isn’t the best financial decision for them to just buy one for their duration of time here if they’re going to be busy playing,’ he told the Daily Mail.
Eventually, the 27-year-old business owner offered to drive Pulisic, McKennie, Zendejas and their pizza back to the hotel.
‘We didn’t even get out of the parking lot of my business [when] these people driving the opposite way down the road stopped in the middle of the road, got out of their car, ran over to us and took pictures,’ Schamber said.
That happened again when they hit traffic on the short drive along the back roads of Dana Point. For most of the journey, however, Schamber was chewing the fat with Pulisic and Co.
‘We were talking about the town, Dana Point, and the history. We were talking about myself and how I started my business,’ he said. McKennie told ESPN that Schamber was showing them all the golf cart’s gadgets.
‘I was talking to them about their upcoming games,’ he said about his chats with the players
Pulisic has been nursing a calf injury that kept him out of the USA’s 2-0 win over Australia
‘Then I was talking to them about their upcoming games.’ Schamber, who is the same age as Pulisic, added: ‘They were really relaxed, it was just like we were conversing as friends and were bros or whatever… no one was standoffish. No one was stuck-up.’
Schamber is not much of a ‘fan boy’ but he does regret not asking the players for a picture. ‘We were really busy that day,’ he explained. ‘So I wasn’t fully in the right mind to be the PR manager on top of the owner, the sales person, the delivery person.’
One of his co-workers’ fathers is a huge soccer fan who has been to a recent World Cup game. He was ‘ecstatic’ after hearing the story. So were many of Schamber’s previous customers.
The 27-year-old wishes he was less busy, so he could have more downtime to watch Pulisic and Co on their World Cup journey.
‘But I am the business owner… I don’t even have time to do anything other than go home and have dinner and go to sleep,’ he said.
Should the USMNT go on to win the World Cup, Schamber has played his part. ‘I guess I’ll have to try and get some compensation, or maybe they should buy a golf cart,’ he said.
