Category: Americans Abroad

Pulisic admits he’s been surprised by Serie A difficulty

The USMNT star has set a career high in goals this season, but says it hasn’t been easy

Christian Pulisic admitted he’s been surprised by how difficult Serie A has been during his debut campaign in the Italian top flight.

Pulisic has been a hit with AC Milan during his first season in Italy, scoring a career-best 13 goals in all competitions while adding eight assists.

The U.S. men’s national team star has been a fixture for the Rossoneri after several years at Chelsea where he struggled to lock down a regular place in the lineup.

Pulisic has been part of a growing trend of American players in Serie A, with Yunus Musah playing alongside him in Milan while Weston McKennie and Tim Weah feature for Juventus.

Those four players are set to clash on Saturday when Milan faces Juventus, with Pulisic and McKennie appearing on ESPN’s “Futbol Americas” ahead of the match.

“I’ve actually been surprised with how difficult a lot of the games are in this league,” Pulisic said. “I think it’s been a great test for me.”

Speaking about how he’s managed to have so much success in Milan, the USMNT star added: “I think a lot of that comes down to just being given the opportunities here. I’ve had a lot of time on the field to show what I can do and have been given a creative role and a lot of freedom as well at times, which has been a huge part of getting that self-belief back and growing that confidence.”

McKennie has always been known as a high-motor player, but said that playing in Italy has taught him how to run smarter, not necessarily harder.

“[Serie A] really helped me grow from more of a tactical standpoint and positional standpoint as well,” McKennie said.

“I was in Germany before and I was the workhorse still. I was running everywhere and trying to get into everything and maybe running 60 yards when I only needed to run 20 and get the same job done.

“So I think that Italy definitely helped me out that way, because this is a very tactical league, very defensive league as well. So for me, it helped me out a lot.”

With six matches to play, Milan and Juventus are battling for second place in Serie A. Milan currently holds a five-point lead over Juve, having fallen 2-1 to city rival Inter on Monday in a match that clinched the league title for the Nerazzurri.

Watch Pulisic and McKennie’s full interview

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Pulisic, Musah can do little as Inter beats AC Milan to clinch Serie A title

The USMNT pair was subdued as Inter clinched its 20th Serie A title

Inter clinched the Serie A championship in the most satisfying way possible, defeating arch-rival AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to lock up the title.

The destination of the Scudetto hasn’t been in doubt for months, as Simone Inzaghi’s side has enjoyed a commanding advantage atop the table for most of the season.

The Rossoneri at least wanted to prevent their rivals from clinching the title in the derby though, but could do little to slow down the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.

U.S. duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the match for Milan in unfamiliar positions. Pulisic played wide left in the place of Rafael Leão, who started at striker. Musah, meanwhile, occupied Pulisic’s typical role out wide right.

Both had quiet games, especially Pulisic, who could hardly make an impact on the night as Inter’s league-best defense did well to bottle the American up.

Inter took the lead 18 minutes in after some disastrous Milan set-piece marking left Francesco Acerbi unmarked for a header on the doorstep.

The lead would be doubled minutes after the break, after a well-struck shot from Marcus Thuram beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Fikayo Tomori gave Milan a lifeline with a close-range finish in the 80th minute, but the Rossoneri couldn’t find the second they needed to avoid watching their rivals kick off wild celebrations in front of their eyes.

The end of the match was marred by two separate clashes between the teams that resulted in a total of three red cards. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off for Milan and Denzel Dumfries saw red for Inter.

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PSV announces Dest out for ‘extended period’ with knee injury

The USMNT defender looks set for a long spell on the sideline

PSV has announced that defender Sergiño Dest will be out for an “extended period” with what appears to be a serious knee injury.

The U.S. national team defender suffered the injury in training on Saturday, and the early signs are clearly not good.

“Sergiño Dest suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury during Saturday’s training session,” a club statement said.

“How long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost certain.”

Though the length of Dest’s absence is not yet known, the language in PSV’s statement immediately makes him a major doubt for the Copa América.

The USMNT kicks off the tournament in just two months when it faces Bolivia on June 23. Dest was almost certain to start at right back for the USMNT at the intercontinental tournament.

More to follow…

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Wright wants to make Man Utd ‘feel the pressure’ in FA Cup semifinal

The USMNT striker is hoping to capitalize in Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal

Haji Wright knows his Coventry City side will be major underdogs in Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal against Manchester United, but said that “anything can happen” in one game.

Coventry will travel to Wembley Stadium as it looks to keep a Cinderella run going in the cup competition.

Already, Coventry has produced a memorable upset by defeating Wolves 3-2 in a wild quarterfinal last month.

The Championship side was down a goal late, but knocked out the Premier League outfit with a pair of stoppage-time goals. U.S. national team striker Wright scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner to send his side to Wembley.

Now Coventry finds itself in the final four among a group of Premier League giants. Chelsea will face Manchester City in the other semifinal on Saturday, meaning Wright’s side would need two straight huge upsets to lift the FA Cup.

Though the odds are stacked against his team, Wright said he is hopeful that Coventry can put a struggling United side under pressure.

“It’s one game, it can go in either direction,” Wright told ESPN. “They’re a big club, have a lot of great players but I think we are going to get opportunities. Hopefully, we can make them feel the pressure a little bit. Anything can happen in one game.”

United is winless in four straight matches, dropping to seventh in the Premier League table. The pressure will be huge on the Red Devils as they look to avoid a demoralizing upset against lower-league opposition on a big stage.

Wright, meanwhile, has hit the ground running in England after joining Coventry from Turkish side Antalyaspor in the offseason, scoring 17 goals so far this term.

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Bournemouth coach Iraola rules Adams out for another game

It will be the fourth straight match Adams has missed with a back injury

Tyler Adams looks set to miss a fourth consecutive match due to back spasms, according to Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola.

Adams has been held out of three straight matches due to back trouble, and Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa appears to be too soon for the U.S. men’s national team midfielder.

Iraola gave updates on several injured Cherries players at his pre-match press conference on Friday, but did not specifically mention Adams among that group.

The coach was then asked about the remainder of his injured players, to which he replied: “Some are getting closer but I don’t expect them for the Villa game, no.”

The back injury is turning into an increasingly frustrating setback for Adams, who only returned from nearly a year out last month.

Adams was sidelined after a hamstring surgery in March 2023, and had to have a second operation after suffering a setback upon his return in September.

The 25-year-old’s start against Everton on March 30 marked his first time playing a full match in over a year.

Overall, Adams has made just three appearances for Bournemouth this season. He made an emphatic return to the USMNT in the Nations League last month, scoring a memorable long-range strike against Mexico in the final.

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Gaetino anticipates ‘incredible’ challenge from Horan, Lyon in Women’s Champions League

Eva Gaetino highlighted USWNT captain Lindsey Horan as Lyon’s most important player ahead of Saturday’s semifinal

Eva Gaetino hasn’t gone up against Lindsey Horan all that often in her young career, but she’s seen enough of the U.S. women’s national team captain to be impressed.

Ahead of a UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinal between Gaetino’s Paris Saint-Germain and Horan’s Lyon, the 21-year-old highlighted the USWNT veteran as possibly the most important player in the tie.

In quotes published by Goal, Gaetino made it clear that she spent some of her first USWNT camp paying close attention to Horan, and praised the 29-year-old’s all-around game.

“I think even just being in camp with her and being on her team and seeing her strengths, she’s incredible on both sides of the ball,” explained Gaetino. “She’s very dynamic in the attack, very creative, and is also a very good defender. Having to face her higher up the field is exciting for me because I look up to her so much.”

Gaetino ‘excited’ to face Horan, Lyon

Despite going pro before finishing her collegiate eligibility and the big names on the PSG roster, the 5-foot-11 Gaetino has pushed her way into regular starts already. The former Notre Dame captain has started seven games for manager Jocelyn Prêcheur since arriving in the French capital.

That puts her in line to face Lyon in the biggest pair of games in PSG’s season. The Parisians will play the first leg at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium on Saturday, before hosting the second leg at the Parc des Princes on April 28.

Gaetino — who only signed with PSG earlier this year —  indicated that she knows full well that PSG faces a really difficult task against Lyon, a perennial Champions League finalist and a side that has more often than not bested PSG in domestic play.

“They have world-class players and even in my [30] minutes against them previously, just the types of crosses that they were hitting and the runners and the timing of their headers, it’s a huge threat,” said Gaetino, whose professional debut came in Division 1 Féminine play against Lyon in February. “I think that’s going to be a huge challenge and I’m excited for it.”

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AC Milan’s trophy hopes dashed as Roma claims Europa League semifinal place

Milan had high hopes for this season, but will end it without even a final after a frustrating loss to Roma

Just like that, AC Milan’s entire season boils down to qualifying for the Champions League.

The Rossoneri’s last chance at silverware ended in frustration on Thursday, as a 2-1 loss at Roma completed a 3-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of the club’s Serie A rivals.

Even an early Zeki Çelik red card wasn’t enough for Milan, who couldn’t solve Daniele De Rossi’s side after falling behind in the game’s opening stages.

“Roma deserved it. They put more quality on the pitch than us,” a downbeat Milan boss Stefano Pioli said in a post-match interview with RAI Sport. “I expected the team to play better and win. I’m not satisfied with tonight’s effort.”

The loss means that Milan — who trail city rivals Inter by a whopping 14 points in Serie A — has little to play for beyond sealing a place in next year’s Champions League.

Atalanta (who also advanced to the Europa League semifinals on Wednesday with a 3-1 aggregate win over Liverpool) knocked Pioli’s club out of the Coppa Italia back in January, and with Roma advancing at the Stadio Olimpico, an all-Italy final may still await.

For Milan, however, this will go down as a strange, disappointing day at the office. Roma’s 1-0 win at the San Siro was already a difficult scoreline to overturn, and the Rossoneri did seemingly everything possible to make the situation worse in the second leg’s early minutes.

Just 12 minutes in, Milan stood by passively as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s curler smacked off the post, then collectively continued to watch as Gianluca Mancini waltzed in to steer the rebound home.

Roma dropped off, but maintained a direct threat that Milan would rue just 10 minutes later. Romelu Lukaku couldn’t make the initial attack count, but again the second phase favored Roma: the loose ball fell to Paulo Dybala for a ruthless finish.

Still, Milan got a lifeline, with Çelik getting a 31st-minute red card after a wild swipe took Rafael Leão out from behind.

Meanwhile, the game descended into odd territory. The rain in Rome turned to sleet, while the teams combined to make three substitutions before halftime. Lukaku left with an injury in the 28th minute, while both clubs made tactical changes due to the red card, the scoreline, and the nature of cup soccer.

Pioli kept throwing numbers at Milan’s problems, and two more halftime substitutions saw a move to a 4-1-3-2 formation with Christian Pulisic playing underneath two out-and-out strikers, while his U.S. men’s national teammate Yunus Musah was stationed at right back.

The problem for Milan? None of this particularly worked, and despite attempting 20 shots, the Rossoneri were unable to truly worry Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

Only once Milan seemed to have accept defeat did the breakthrough come, though Matteo Gabbia’s 85th minute goal was nothing but a consolation.

Milan’s work this season isn’t over, with the next week including games against Inter and Juventus. However, with Serie A virtually certain to go to the blue half of the city and Milan nearly mathematically sure of a spot in next season’s Champions League, April and May will be as much about sorting out where a promising season went wrong as it is anything else.

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Richards: Crystal Palace boss Glasner sees me as center back

The USMNT defender is happy to be back in his natural position after a spell at defensive midfield

Chris Richards is back playing his natural position, and he looks set to stay there for the foreseeable future.

Richards has played center back his entire career, but started in defensive midfield for a stretch of Premier League matches earlier in the season.

But under new Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner, the U.S. international has returned to his natural position, starting four straight games at center back under the Austrian before suffering an injury last month.

Speaking to Palace’s website, Richards said he was happy to return to center back after being shifted around earlier in the season under Roy Hodgson.

“Centre of defense, preferably,” Richards said of his ideal position. “It was a lot of learning this year, playing right back, center back, center mid.

“[It was] a lot of positions that I’m not quite used to, but again, like I said, I’ll do whatever to be on the pitch and help us win. I think it’s been good to play in different positions because you learn a lot.

“We played against [Glasner’s] teams in Germany, so I think he remembers what my best position was.

“But coming in, we did have a small conversation, and he just kind of said that for the future he sees me playing center back. All the games I played for him have been at center back.”

Richards provides injury update

The USMNT defender has now missed three straight games with what he revealed to be a knee injury.

Speaking before last weekend’s match at Liverpool, the 24-year-old said he was targeting this Sunday’s game against West Ham for a potential return.

“I think frustrating would be a good word for it,” Richards said.

“I feel like I worked hard over the last two seasons that I’ve been here and I think I was finally reaping the benefit of that. It’s always nice playing games.

“I have a knee injury. Hopefully, what we’re aiming for is West Ham. I’m just kind of taking it day by day, hoping that it continues to heal and that’s what I’m aiming for, at least, is the West Ham game.”

Prior to his injury, Richards had gone the distance in 16 consecutive Premier League matches.

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USWNT star Macario gets assist in first Chelsea start

It’s been 686 days, but Macario is back starting games again

Making a big step after her injury nightmare, Catarina Macario started a match for the first time in 686 days.

The U.S. women’s national team star was on the pitch from kickoff as Chelsea hosted Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on Wednesday, making her first start for the Blues since joining the club in June 2023.

The 24-year-old would end up logging 70 minutes in a 3-0 win, with the Blues climbing back above Manchester City at the top of the WSL standings on goal difference.

Macario had not started a game anywhere since tearing her ACL in her final appearance with Lyon, all the way back on June 1, 2022.

Since then, Macario has missed a World Cup for the USWNT, and had totaled just 169 minutes of playing time for Chelsea and the U.S. before being named to the starting 11 by Emma Hayes for Villa’s visit.

Villa goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off after just four minutes for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity after making a save well outside her 18-yard box, helping Macario and the Blues ease into the game.

Aggie Beever-Jones’ 18th-minute volley opened the scoring, and Macario followed that strike up with a clever 38th-minute assist. The USWNT attacker’s near-post heel flick completely caught the visitors’ defense off-guard, setting Japan forward Maika Hamano up for a tap-in.

Despite her lack of playing time, this marked the third assist for Macario since her return, to go with two goals (including one in her first appearance for the club).

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Lalas: Nottingham Forest decided long ago it can’t count on Reyna

The USMNT star made his first start for Forest over the weekend

Gio Reyna may have finally made a start for Nottingham Forest, but that doesn’t mean the club believes it can count on him.

That is the opinion of Alexi Lalas, who spoke about the U.S. men’s national team midfielder’s dire club situation on the latest episode of his State of the Union podcast.

Reyna finally made his first Premier League start over the weekend, notching an assist from a corner kick as Forest drew Wolves 2-2 in a vital match.

It took the American nearly three months of his loan from Borussia Dortmund to get his first start, having played a total of just 90 minutes for Forest prior to Saturday’s match.

Though Reyna has finally made a breakthrough, Forest now has just five matches remaining this season. As a disappointing loan stint gets set to conclude, Lalas didn’t mince words about the USMNT star’s situation.

“You don’t need me to tell you that Gio starting, and Gio playing after what has been an absolutely abysmal time in terms of this loan to Forest is a good thing. Yes it’s a good thing. Does it change who Gio is as a player? No. Does it change how Forest in general look at him going forward? No,” Lalas said.

“I think they have gotten plenty of looks at what Gio is. And I think they have made the determination long ago that this is not somebody for the long haul. Not somebody they want to count on.”

Forest will face Everton on Sunday in a crucial relegation six-pointer. Reyna’s side enters the match one point and one place above the drop zone, with Everton just one point and one place above Forest.

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