He may have rested during the summer, while his USMNT teammates were playing the Gold Cup, but his season debut suggests he had his reasons. Five goals and one assist in his first five appearances. Christian Pulisic keeps breaking records with AC Milan. Against Udinese on Saturday, he shattered two more: he is the first player to have scored at least 25 goals and provided 15 assists (he's actually at 17) over the last three Serie A seasons. That's 42 goal contributions since the start of the 2023/24 campaign: more than Lautaro, more than Vlahovic, more than any other striker in the league. Extending the tally to all competitions, only Lautaro has done better than Pulisic among Serie A players (59 goal involvements for Lautaro; 58 for Pulisic). Not bad for a player who arrived at Milan amid plenty of doubts due to his recurring injuries at Chelsea. Since his move to Milan, he has never been ruled out for injury for more than a month. Also against Udinese, the USMNT captain broke another historic record for American soccer: with 59 career goals, he became the top U.S. scorer ever in Europe's top five leagues, overtaking Clint Dempsey (57). https://twitter.com/USER_ID/status/1970586878232375689 In the year leading up to the most important tournament of his career, Pulisic is confirming his status as a U.S. soccer legend. This summer, at the World Cup, he will carry the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders -a burden he has sometimes struggled with. Delivering a strong season with Milan is the best way to head into the summer with the right confidence. The start has been extraordinary, and all the signs point toward a less troubled season than last year, when Milan finished eighth, crashed out of the Champions League in the playoffs, and changed coaches in December. Even in that difficult context, Pulisic closed the season with 17 goals and 12 assists. When we look at his form at AC Milan since his arrival, he has been themost consistent player in the team. The big difference this year, however, has been brought by Massimiliano Allegri, Milan's new coach, tasked with reviving the Rossoneri and taking them back to the Champions League. Everything starts with the tactical change: a 3-5-2. No more wingers. Some may have thought this would be a problem for Pulisic, who in his first two seasons at Milan almost always played as a right winger (unlike the last World Cup with the USMNT, where he played exclusively on the right). Not a chance. He even got better. His new role at Milan is as a second striker, alongside a pure center-forward like Santiago Giménez or a "false nine" like Leão, who roams widely. Or perhaps, more accurately, the real novelty is that in this Milan, Pulisic chooses his own role. Never before has he been given such freedom to move across the entire attacking front, constantly looking for space between the lines to create danger for the opponents. Without fixed reference points, and with the license to link up with teammates all over the pitch, Pulisic is probably producing the best version of his career. His tactical intelligence, united with his technical accuracy, makes him a nightmare for Serie A's defenders. There's another factor in Milan's season that works in favor of the USMNT: Milan are not playing in European competitions. While many players will arrive at the World Cup drained from a calendar of games every three days, the U.S. captain benefits from having only one weekly fixture, and also strong competition in his position, with Christopher Nkunku ready to step in when needed. A great season with Milan, maybe even delivering a Scudetto that seemed unthinkable until this summer, and then heading into World Cup camp in the best possible physical and mental condition. The plan seems clear. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from his teammates, Christian Pulisic just keeps breaking records, further cementing his status as U.S. football (now he calls It in the European way) legend.
