Is it time for Hershey's Christian Pulisic to shine for U.S. soccer team?

SAN JOSE, Calif. - When Bruce Arena watches Christian Pulisic practice and play, memories of coaching another young, dynamic attacker many years ago rise to the surface.

"He does remind me of Landon," Arena said Thursday, the eve of the U.S. World Cup qualifier against Honduras at Avaya Stadium.

Landon, as in Landon Donovan, the most prolific scorer in the history of the U.S. men's national team and MLS. As Donovan's career winds down - he is not active but hasn't formally retired - Pulisic's is taking off.

Both are on site: Donovan with Fox Sports and Pulisic, 18, in uniform for a U.S. squad that urgently needs three points after losing its first two final-round qualifiers.

"He has a long way to go before he gets to stand next to him," Arena said of Pulisic and Donovan, whom he coached on the national team and Los Angeles Galaxy. "In Landon, we saw a player have a tremendous career at both the club and international levels. Christian is just starting. We don't know what it's going to look like 10 years down the road. Certainly at his age he reminds me a lot of Landon."

If the United States qualifies for the 2018 tournament in Russia, Pulisic will be three months shy of his 20th birthday. Donovan's breakout summer came at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, three months after he turned 20.

Told of Arena's comparison to Donovan, the Hershey, Pa., native said: "He was an idol of mine. Obviously, it's an honor. I am my own player, as well."

Pulisic, though, is way ahead of Donovan in his professional grooming at the early stage of their respective careers. A year before the 2002 World Cup, Donovan was in his first season with the San Jose Earthquakes after a quiet spell in Germany. A year ahead of the 2018 tournament, Pulisic is a regular with Bundesliga power Borussia Dortmund. In the past three weeks, he has scored in league play, the German Cup and UEFA Champions League.

American soccer has been waiting decades for a world-class attacker to thrive at a big European club. Pulisic just might be it.

Will his club success now translate to the international game? We're about to find out. Pulisic started the two qualifiers in November, but with the Americans now in a tight spot, he's poised to inherit a larger role.

Arena will not reveal his lineup until about an hour before kickoff, but given Pulisic's form in Germany and the void of U.S. threats, he's a good bet to start again.

When he took the job in November, Arena warned of moving too fast with young players. International soccer is littered with prospects who burned out early.

Asked to assess Pulisic's growth, he said: "He's making progress as a player and a person. The last couple of months with his club team in Germany have been good. He has very little experience at the international level. He's going to need to get a taste of it and continue to grow as a player. He has all the tools to become a very good player. I look forward to seeing how he reacts in these next two games."

Coming from the torrents of the Bundesliga and Champions League, Pulisic does not seem the slightest bit fazed by the qualifiers.

"It's a different situation. It's definitely a big game here," he said. "I always take those experiences and I bring them and take them with me for the rest of my life. It will definitely help in these big games. So I feel much more comfortable and confident going into this one."

Given his Dortmund play, expectations are sure to rise on this side of the Atlantic.

"I'm not going to put pressure on myself like that," he said. "I am just going to go out like any other game, be confident and play like I play, and see where it goes."