U.S. males’s nationwide staff standout Christian Pulisic began the brand new season in model, scoring a formidable purpose as AC Milan beat Bari in Coppa Italia first spherical motion on Sunday. Within the forty eighth minute, Pulisic acquired the ball yards from Bari’s penalty space and made a deep run whereas swerving right into a extra central place as he made his method into the field. He observed Santiago Gimenez to his left and performed a go to his teammate as he acquired a little bit nearer to purpose, Gimenez buying and selling the favor nearly instantly as Pulisic acquired into a greater place.
Pulisic has a physique on him, however he receives the ball along with his foot and his again tilted in the direction of the purpose, spins whereas by no means shedding possession and strikes the ball along with his proper foot, seamlessly sending it into the again of the online.
Watch the strike beneath.
It marks a formidable begin to Pulisic’s third season in Milan and his first underneath new supervisor Massimiliano Allegri, who’s the fourth particular person to take cost of the staff since Pulisic joined forward of the 2023-24 season. Pulisic was a daily fixture throughout Milan’s preseason and slotted into the lineup as a ahead in a 3-5-2 on a handful of events, together with in Sunday’s Coppa Italia win over Bari, a showcase of his versatility as an attacker. Pulisic’s significance to Milan comes as little shock contemplating how rapidly he took to life in Serie A, having fun with two career-best years since making the transfer from Chelsea. The USMNT participant has 33 targets in 101 appearances for the membership now, his output particularly essential final season as a lone shiny spot throughout a disappointing season that noticed them end in eighth place final season.
The attacker began on Sunday after coping with an ankle concern that saved him out of their ultimate preseason pleasant final week, a 4-1 loss at Chelsea. He’s well-rested, although, after utilizing the summer season to recuperate from a busy 2024-25 marketing campaign with Milan, opting out of the Concacaf Gold Cup with subsequent summer season’s World Cup on residence soil in thoughts. It was a call that didn’t go over effectively with some within the USMNT’s orbit, primarily gamers who competed in earlier generations of the nationwide staff, however he defended his selection in a latest episode of the “PULISIC” documentary.
“I needed to make the very best determination for myself and look out for myself,” he mentioned within the docuseries, which is presently streaming on Paramount+.
Milan will play Lecce within the second spherical of the Coppa Italia, which is able to happen from September 23-25. Milan have been the runners-up in final season’s competitors, shedding to Bologna within the ultimate. They kick off their Serie A marketing campaign on Saturday in opposition to newly promoted Cremonese, which you’ll watch on Paramount+.
