The Journey of Christian…

IRVINE, Calif. — In a surprising twist during the World Cup, it turns out that a golf cart dealership owner played a key role in saving the day for the U.S. men’s national team, according to ESPN.

The unusual chain of events started last Sunday, an off day for the players, when Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Alejandro Zendejas ventured out from their hotel in Laguna Niguel for a pizza. After their meal, they tried to catch a rideshare back but found themselves stuck due to a major traffic accident blocking Pacific Coast Highway.

With traffic halted for hours, they were stranded several miles from their hotel, and walking back wasn’t an option. The heat and sun posed a risk to Pulisic’s injured calf, raising concerns about potential further injury.

Just then, they spotted SC Carts, a high-end golf cart dealership in Dana Point, with several carts on display outside.

“We really didn’t want to walk, especially with Christian’s calf being an issue,” McKennie shared with ESPN. “I was wearing flip-flops, so we thought we could figure something out with a cart.”

When ESPN reached out to the dealership owner, Cole Schamber, he explained that at first, he didn’t recognize the players when they arrived asking about carts, one of them carrying pizza boxes.

“I’m not a soccer fan, so I don’t have much time to watch TV,” Schamber said. “It wasn’t until people started asking for pictures that I realized they were the U.S. soccer team.”

Schamber recounted that the players were polite and interested in the golf carts. “Christian Pulisic was checking out all the features – CarPlay, speakers, everything,” McKennie noted. “We were genuinely intrigued.”

The players showed interest in the Voyager Patriot 6-Seater Lifted LSV and Bintelli Nexus 6-Seater Lifted LSV. Schamber clarified that although these carts are categorized as low-speed vehicles (LSVs) with a top speed of 25 mph, rental options were off the table since SC Carts does not offer rentals.

The discussion soon shifted to the possibility of purchasing a cart, estimated to cost around $9,000. The players were contemplating sharing the expense and what to do with the cart after their World Cup commitments.

One of the ideas thrown around was to buy the cart for use during the tournament and then ship it to Pulisic’s family in Florida. “He mentioned his family could use it, and I even offered some shipping contacts,” Schamber stated, “but it didn’t quite make sense to them.”

McKennie recounted their struggle to come up with a solution to get back to the hotel, saying, “We considered walking, but then Schamber saved us.”

Once Schamber understood the urgency of their predicament, he proposed a solution. “Since I had to deliver a cart that was sort of in the direction of the hotel, I offered them a ride,” he explained.

The players gratefully jumped at the opportunity, although getting out was a little chaotic as fans parked their cars and rushed over for photos once they recognized the trio. “The players handled it well,” Schamber noted.

Afterward, Pulisic, McKennie, and Zendejas hopped onto the new cart, and Schamber skillfully navigated around the accident scene, eventually dropping them off at the hotel.

McKennie summarized the experience as a “little side quest,” adding, “It could have turned out worse, but it ended up working out perfectly. The guy was super chill. We really appreciate his help.”

Schamber, who has sold carts to various UFC stars and Alex Hall from “Selling the OC,” seemed unfazed by the missed opportunity for a sale. “They were great guys,” he said. “When I dropped them off, we fist-bumped, and I told them, ‘If you want to buy a cart, you know where to find me.’”

He concluded with, “They looked really happy to be back.”