Christian Pulisic is on the brink of matching his most prolific season yet, while Weston McKennie is nearing the summit of Serie A’s assist leaderboard. Both U.S. internationals showcased their prowess in the Italian league on Sunday, offering a promising outlook for the Americans ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League finals in two weeks at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.
Pulisic netted the decisive goal in AC Milan’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Empoli, marking his 10th goal in 37 appearances across all competitions in his debut season with the Rossoneri.
Meanwhile, McKennie made an early return from a dislocated left shoulder and played a pivotal role for Juventus, providing both assists in their 2-2 draw with Atalanta. This performance added to his tally of seven assists in Serie A this season, narrowly trailing Olivier Giroud’s eight assists for Milan.
Pulisic’s standout season at Chelsea in 2019-20 saw him score 11 goals in 34 matches across all competitions. With two months left in the campaign, he has a chance to surpass that total with Milan. Reflecting on his form, Pulisic expressed, “I feel it’s some of my best form of my career.
I’ve been given a lot of confidence and trust here by the staff, my teammates, the city, and the fans. So I’m feeling good here.”
In the crucial match at the San Siro, Pulisic capitalized on a chance created by Ismael Bennacer and Noah Okafor, slotting home from the edge of the area. Despite an initial offside ruling, the goal was awarded after a VAR check on Okafor’s position.
Pulisic has now contributed to 14 Serie A goals this season, with eight goals and six assists, showcasing a remarkable resurgence after enduring injuries and a lack of opportunities at Chelsea.
With Milan’s ascent to second place in Serie A, surpassing Juventus, Pulisic’s contributions have been invaluable. However, his impressive performance was marred by a backlash of death threats and abuse on social media following Milan’s previous victory over Lazio.
Despite the controversy surrounding that match, Pulisic maintained his integrity, stating, “For me, this was not a question of me being a bad sport. I saw nothing behind me. I just played until I heard the whistle, and I was brought down, and the whole situation got out of control. … I didn’t mean anything against Lazio.”
