RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Christian Pulisic failed to find the back of the net at this summer's FIFA World Cup -Credit:Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
For U.S. Men’s National Team star Christian Pulisic, 2026 has been a year to forget so far, as team legend Alexi Lalas recently made abundantly clear.
Having entered the calendar year as AC Milan’s top scorer, following a season in which he also led the way for the Rossoneri in goals scored and assists, Pulisic didn’t so much hit the ground running as he did fall flat on his face.
The return of his injury woes and a struggle to find any resemblance of consistency for Milan saw him play 90 minutes just three times since December, failing to find the back of the net at all in the second half of their season.
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Pulisic will soon look to bounce back after a disappointing second half of the 2025-2026 Serie A season with AC Milan -Credit:Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
Having been on the fringes of a race for the title for much of the first half of the season, Milan wound up finishing outside of the UEFA Champions League places in fifth, with Massimiliano Allegri ousted as head coach after just one season at the helm.
In steps former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, who will be Pulisic’s fifth head coach in four seasons at the San Siro.
Having failed to appear in any of Milan’s preseason games as he recovers from a bone bruise and microfracture in his leg during the USMNT’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 exit at the hands of Belgium (having failed to find the net during their tournament run), Pulisic will have some catching up to do once he does make his long-awaited return to the field.
Previewing the upcoming season and which USMNT players saw their stocks rise or fall during their World Cup campaigns, Lalas was blunt when it came to 27-year-old Pulisic.
“I don't think that there's anybody out there that would disagree that his stock is down,” he said on his ‘ State of the Union ’ podcast. “Keep in mind his stock was down even before the World Cup started.
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“And then, a World Cup where he was injured for most of it, where he took a lot of shots, many of them fair in terms of his performance. He absolutely did not harness the power of being the poster boy for this American team and introduce himself in a way that is changing his marketability.
“People know who Christian Pulisic is, but there was an element of not living up to the hype, and in particular, as we've said time and time again, in a home World Cup where there were so many more eyes on him and where he could have had an impact for his brand in the US, and for various different reasons he didn't.”
Regarding the upcoming season, Lalas noted how Pulisic is returning “to a situation where, certainly, the first half last year in Serie A for AC Milan was incredible, and as incredible as the first half was, that's how incredibly horrible the second half was. So, it's a Jekyll and Hyde [situation] for him.
“And what shows up now with this, I guess, revamped AC Milan and this reclamation project that they have on their hands right now, and how much is he a part of it? And do we see that first half from last year, Christian Pulisic at AC Milan, or do we see that second half, or the summer, for that matter, when it comes to the World Cup?”
Luckily for Pulisic, publicly at least, Amorim is high on the Pennsylvanian’s potential in his system. In a recent interview, the Portuguese boss described Pulisic as “a really talented player, as per SBI Soccer .
New head coach Ruben Amorim recently said that 'Pulisic is really important for us' -Credit:Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
“Of course, he had an injury again in the World Cup that we need to assess…I know the strengths of Pulisic. I believe in him; he will be supported in our club.
“I know he had some criticism after the World Cup elimination, but I am here to say we believe a lot in him, have a clear plan to use all the qualities that he has, so I can say to you that Pulisic is really important for us.”
What’s more, Amorim reiterated, “I have a clear idea of where I want him [Pulisic] to play. Especially with the right foot on the left side, it is the perfect position for him. He can play the other side also, inside too and not on the line.”
Milan are scheduled to conclude their preseason campaign against none other than United in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday before they turn their attention to Torino for their opening fixture of the Serie A season on August 23.
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