Golf Cart Ride Saves Christian Pulisic and U.S. Teammates Trip Out for Pizza

In Irvine, California, what might have been the most unusual save of the World Cup for the U.S. men’s national team came courtesy of a golf cart dealership owner.

The events unfolded on a Sunday off day when Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Alejandro Zendejas left their hotel in Laguna Niguel to grab some pizza.

After eating, they discovered they were stranded when a major traffic accident closed one side of Pacific Coast Highway, stopping vehicles for hours.

With the team’s hotel several miles away, walking back seemed like the only option, but the idea raised concerns about Pulisic’s injured calf.

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McKennie told ESPN, “With Christian’s calf, we definitely didn’t want to walk. I was the only one in flip-flops, but it was far. So, we thought, maybe we could figure something out with a cart.”

Nearby stood SC Carts, a dealership located in Dana Point that specializes in high-end, street-legal golf carts.

When the players approached the business, owner Cole Schamber said he initially had no idea who they were.

“I’m not a soccer fan: I just run my business, so I don’t even have a chance to watch much TV,” Schamber explained to ESPN. “It was only when people started asking them for pictures that I realized what was happening. And then they also mentioned that they play for the U.S. soccer team.”

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Schamber described the trio as polite and genuinely interested in the golf carts.

McKennie said, “He was showing us all the features — CarPlay and all the speakers and everything. To be fair, we were pretty into it.”

According to Schamber, the players looked at the Voyager Patriot 6-Seater Lifted LSV and the Bintelli Nexus 6-Seater Lifted LSV, both of which he called “very solid options.” LSV stands for low-speed vehicle, which requires registration but reaches a maximum of about 25 mph.

At first, the players asked about renting a cart, but Schamber told them SC Carts does not offer rentals.

They then discussed possibly buying one, which Schamber said would have cost about $9,000. He recalled them debating how to split the cost and whether the cart could be shipped to Pulisic’s home in Florida.

“He said his family could use it and I offered some shipping contacts,” Schamber said. “But that didn’t seem to make sense to them.”

McKennie said the group was just trying to find any solution. “We were like, ‘OK, we’ll just walk,’ and then he saved us.”

Once Schamber realized they mainly needed a lift back to the hotel, he offered to help.

“I never like to take advantage of someone, and I had to deliver a new cart that was sort of in the direction of the hotel,” he said. “So, I offered them a ride on that cart.”

The players accepted the offer, but the journey started with another challenge when a car filled with fans stopped in the road after spotting the players.

According to Schamber, “They parked their car in the median and ran over to try and get pictures. The players were very nice.”

After the quick fan encounter, Pulisic, McKennie, and Zendejas climbed aboard the new golf cart. Schamber navigated the blocked route and delivered them safely to the team’s hotel.

“It was a little side quest,” McKennie said. “It could have been a lot worse, but it worked out as well as possible. The guy was so chill. We’re really grateful to him.”

Schamber shared that he has previously sold golf carts to several UFC stars and Alex Hall, the host of “Selling the OC.”

He said he wasn’t disappointed that his meeting with the U.S. players did not result in a sale.

“They were good guys,” Schamber said. “When I dropped them off at the valet stand, we fist-bumped and I told them, ‘You know where to find me if you want to buy a cart.’”

He added, “They seemed really happy to be back.”

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