Christian Pulisic was among a group of U.S. World Cup players who found themselves needing an unexpected lift from a golf cart dealership owner after becoming stranded during a pizza run.
Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Alejandro Zendejas had left the U.S. team’s World Cup hotel near Laguna Beach on Father’s Day, using a day off after the squad’s 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle.
Their return plans were disrupted when a serious crash on the Pacific Coast Highway closed one side of the road, leaving taxis unable to reach them.
As ESPN reported, the players then came across SC Carts, a Dana Point company specializing in upscale, street-legal golf carts. The business has served notable clients including UFC fighters Luke Rockhold and Khalil Rountree, along with Alex Hall of ‘Selling the OC.’
Owner Cole Schamber told the Daily Mail that when Pulisic, McKennie and Zendejas arrived dressed casually and holding pizza boxes, one staff member “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 became stranded while out getting pizza
The USMNT trio were helped by Cole Schamber, owner of California-based SC Carts
Before long, though, people passing by recognized the players and asked for a photo. “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 joked.
