da wazamba： The former Chelsea winger has impressively rebuilt his career in six short months on the Rossoneri's books, which is great news for Gregg Berhalter
da blaze casino： Christian Pulisic was a failure at Stamford Bridge. The USMNT star spent four years at Chelsea after a $74 million (£58m) switch from Borussia Dortmund, but only scored 26 goals, and was one of the team's worst performers throughout a dismal 2022-23 season that saw them finish in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were all unable to get the best out of Pulisic, who struggled mentally with the weight of expectation in west London and broke down physically under the rigorous demands of English football. The versatile forward did have his moments in the famous blue shirt, most notably playing a key role in the club's unlikely run to glory in the 2020-21 Champions League, but he was never able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.
AC Milan offered Pulisic a clean slate in the summer, though, and he has made the most of it. Reuniting with former Chelsea team-mates Olivier Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori has helped Pulisic settle into his new surroundings quickly, while the Rossoneri also managed to sign one of his international colleagues in the form of Yunus Musah.
Pulisic looked like a man completely drained of confidence by the end of his time at Chelsea, but San Siro has proven to be the perfect place for him to replenish his stocks. The 25-year-old has recorded 12 goal contributions in his first 23 outings for Milan, one shy of his best-season total with the Blues, and he's playing with a smile on his face again.
With the 2024 Copa America now looming large on the horizon, Pulisic appears to be hitting his peak. And if he can keep it up in the second half of the season, the USMNT may just emerge as dark horses to challenge Lionel Messi and Argentina for their crown…
GettyThe Pioli factor
Stefano Pioli has long been an admirer of Pulisic, and jumped at the chance to bring him in when it became apparent that Chelsea were ready to sell. Lyon had also expressed firm interest in the American, but Pioli helped to convince him that San Siro was the right place for him to get his career back on track.
“Everything truly is special at AC Milan. You can breathe in the history, and you just want to come here," Pulisic said at his first press conference as a Milan player. "The initial talks started when I was away on international duty and, although it took a bit of time to get the agreement sorted, I made the decision to accept early on. I spoke to Pioli and got a real sense that he wanted to have me, and I’m grateful to him."
Pulisic went on to score four goals in his first eight Serie A outings for Milan, including a brilliant late winner against Genoa. The Rossoneri held onto the 1-0 victory despite having goalkeeper Mike Maignan sent off in stoppage-time, and Pioli revealed after the match that Pulisic had offered to go in goal before Giroud was chosen due to his superior height.
The USMNT talisman didn't take on that kind of responsibility at Chelsea. In fact, Pulisic was never able to translate his international form to club level with the Blues, but he's wasted no time in becoming one of the leaders in Pioli's Rossoneri squad.
Pulisic started out on the right wing for Milan, but switched over to the left when Rafael Leao picked up a serious hamstring injury in November, and has been deployed as a No.10 in more recent matches. His versatility has been invaluable to Pioli, who said after seeing him score another decisive goal against Sassuolo in Milan's final game of 2023: "Chris is a great player. He has quality, intensity and willingness. He's scoring a lot too, which isn't always easy for a winger. He can play in a number of roles. He is a great guy in the way he approaches and prepares for a game."
Crucially, Pioli's respect for Pulisic is reciprocated, which didn't always appear to be the case with his managers at Stamford Bridge. “He’s an excellent coach, as well as being a person of great depth," Pulisic told in October. "He encourages you to give your best without making concessions, but he’s also ready to cheer you up and help you when you make mistakes. I feel his trust and that’s fantastic. I’m really happy to have him as a coach.”
AdvertisementGetty Images'Serie A style suits him better'
Pulisic's performances have helped Milan rise to third in the Serie A table at the halfway point of the season, and they currently have a five-point cushion over fifth-placed Bologna. Barring a dramatic collapse, the Rossoneri should comfortably qualify for next season's Champions League, and Pioli will still be trying to motivate them for a title push behind the scenes.
Winning the Scudetto might ultimately be a stretch too far given Milan have fallen nine points behind leaders Inter, who have undoubtedly been the best team in Italy so far in 2023-24 – as evidenced by the 5-1 rout of their arch rivals in the Derby della Madonnina back in September. But Pulisic's individual displays have made the difference in a number of games for the Rossoneri already, and if he can stay fit, they can't be written out of the title race just yet.
It's fair to say that Pulisic never fully got to grips with the pace of the Premier League. He didn't get enough time on the ball to make an impact in the final third and was too often outmuscled in one-on-one duels.
Serie A is a completely different environment, though, as former Milan icon Ruud Guillit recently told : "The Premier League is a high-tempo competition. The build-up for a lot of Italian teams is a little bit slower, it’s more tactical, more on technique and things like that. It’s hard, plus the Italian defenders are not easy to beat. The style of play suits [Pulisic] better… Maybe he has found a way to play his game.”
Pulisic was far less impressive during Milan's disappointing Champions League group-stage campaign. The Italian giants could only finish third in the so-called 'Group of Death' behind Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, and the former Chelsea man found the net just once in six appearances.
That's not to say that any blame should be apportioned to Pulisic for Milan's failure. Pioli's side are simply not ready to regularly compete in the latter stages of the Champions League despite them advancing to last season's semi-finals, and a strong run in the Europa League could actually be more beneficial for their development as a collective.
GettyInjury prevention steps
Signing Pulisic was a big risk for Milan. The U.S national team attacker sat out a grand total of 53 games at Chelsea due to a variety of injuries, and wasn't able to hold down a regular place in the team as a result.
Bad luck played a part in that nightmare run, but once he had made his decision to seek a new club, Pulisic set about ensuring that fitness issues would no longer hold him back.
According to , Pulisic's entourage tried to get him enrolled with SAT Soccer, an elite Miami-based programme "designed to meet the the advanced needs of professional footballers", before his appearance for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League finals over the summer.
At that stage, Pulisic had yet to finalise his move to Milan, but he was determined to be in the best possible shape for the next chapter in his career. Pulisic eventually got the green light, and spent a week in South Florida working closely with SAT Soccer CEO Ethan Sonis, who reviewed a chunk of his games at Chelsea to produce a tailor-made plan for the American ace.
In addition to working on the tactical side of Pulisic's game, Sonis also carefully analysed his injury history, with a view to "getting the confidence to pull through sessions without feeling anything and being confident in front of goal".
Sonis made it his mission to turn Pulisic into a "lethal finisher" and Milan fans have seen the fruits of his labour this season. It also helped that Pioli managed his minutes cautiously to begin with, as Pulisic played a full 90 just once in his first 12 Serie A appearances.
The last of those outings saw Pulisic hooked at half-time against Napoli after providing an assist, with Pioli deciding not to take any risks after the player felt "a twinge in the adductor". Pulisic has been smarter off the pitch and Milan have taken all the necessary steps to make sure he avoids another big injury set-back, which has helped him to build up a proper rhythm at club level for the first time since his days at Dortmund.
Getty ImagesCopa America opportunity
This is a big year for the USMNT. For the second time in a decade, the Copa America will be hosted in the U.S., and Berhalter has a huge task on his hands to equal or better the 2016 crop's fourth-placed finish.
A 17-year-old Pulisic appeared in three matches at that tournament, including the Stars & Stripes' 4-0 semi-final loss to Argentina that saw Messi get on the scoresheet, with a new set of American youngsters just starting to breakthrough as household names such as Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard took their final bows.
The USMNT have made great strides forward since then as Berhalter has overseen a 'Golden Generation' of talent. Pulisic is now his country's main man, with the likes of Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Sergino Dest, Tyler Adams and Antonee Robinson making up a strong supporting cast.
Berhalter can also now call upon former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, who pledged his allegiance to the Stars & Stripes over England earlier this year, and there is still a sense of hope that Pulisic's former Dortmund team-mate Gio Reyna can fulfil his immense potential after a frustrating couple of years in Germany.
The 2022 World Cup was encouraging for the USMNT as they made it out of their group ahead of Iran and Wales, with Pulisic producing a star turn in their impressive 0-0 draw against England. Berhalter's troops came up short in the last-16 as they suffered a painful 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands, but that was more down to inexperience than anything else.
By the time Copa America kicks off in June, Pulisic and Co should be ready to launch a genuine bid for the trophy. The U.S. will have the crowd as their 12th man on home soil, and although reigning world champions Argentina will rightly be favourites as Messi prepares to bring the curtain down on his international career in style, there is a unique opportunity for an upset.
Brazil are in the middle of a crisis after a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and will likely be without main man Neymar due to injury. It's not all sunshine and rainbows in the Argentina camp right now either, with it suggested that head coach Lionel Scaloni could step down before the Copa gets underway.
The U.S. have been handed a tough group-stage draw against Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama, but they should fear no one, especially if Pulisic is still in top form. His impressive revival at Milan suggests he is capable of carrying his nation's hopes; it will just be a case of making sure he doesn't take his eye of the ball in the intervening months.