Category: Serie A

Pulisic ‘loving’ life in Italy, nearly ready to do interview in Italian

The USMNT star sounds like he’s adjusting well to life in Italy, on and off the pitch.

Christian Pulisic sounds like he’s adjusting well to life in Italy, on and off the pitch.

In his first season at AC Milan, Pulisic has already set a career high in goals with 12. The U.S. national team star entered the international break on a streak of four games in a row with a goal.

As he continues to look like one of the signings of the season in Serie A, Pulisic said he’s also enjoying the lifestyle in Italy after spending five years in London with Chelsea.

“I’m enjoying it a lot,” Pulisic told reporters ahead of the USMNT’s Nations League semifinal against Jamaica. “It’s been a good change of pace for me. I’m loving the Italian culture. I’m trying to soak it all in. I’m doing the best I can to learn the language so I feel pretty good with all that stuff and I’m just loving it so far.”

Though he’s been in Italy for around nine months, Pulisic seems to be picking up a new language rather quickly.

“I understand about everything,” he said. “[Milan] asked me if I could do my interview in Italian the other day and I was like, ‘Yeah you can ask the questions [in Italian] and I’ll answer in English but next time.’ I’m getting close but still not fluent.”

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Musah full of praise for Pulisic’s goalscoring — and his Italian

Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player this season

Yunus Musah has been highly impressed with Christian Pulisic’s accomplishments with AC Milan this season, both on and off the field.

In his debut campaign with the Rossoneri, Pulisic has already reached a career high in goals with 12. The U.S. national team star entered the international break on a streak of four games in a row with a goal.

Musah, who is also in his first AC Milan season, wasn’t just impressed with his teammate’s displays on the pitch, but also his vastly improving Italian skills.

Speaking to reporters from USMNT camp ahead of Thursday’s Nations League semifinal against Jamaica, Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player in 2023-24 so far.

“I’m really really happy with the way I see Christian playing at the moment,” the midfielder said. “He’s scoring a lot of goals, affecting the play a lot in our team.

“I’d say he’s been our best attacking player this season at Milan, so I’m really happy for him. He’s doing so well. I see he’s enjoying it as well and possibly having one of his best seasons. So yeah, I’m really happy to see a fellow American do such a thing.”

Musah speaks fluent Italian, having lived in Italy for several years during his childhood. The 21-year-old helped Pulisic transition to life in a new country and a new language upon their arrival in Milan but lately, Musah said Pulisic is showing he doesn’t need quite as much help in the language department.

“Whenever I could help with the language I did, and he’s learning as well,” Musah said. “And as as you can see, he’s happy there, he’s enjoying himself, thriving. So I’m happy for him.”

The midfielder added: “He’s working really hard on his Italian and he’s managed to learn quite a bit. He really understands the manager now and [his] teammates.”

Musah also spoke about his own campaign thus far, having made the move from Valencia over the summer. After starting regularly for Milan over the first half of the season, Musah has been a bench option in recent months with Ismaël Bennacer, Yacine Adli and Tijjani Reijnders all battling for minutes in center midfield.

“I’m really happy with how the season’s been going at such a big team like this,” Musah said. “I’ve managed to play a lot of games at the beginning, in the Champions League against some top teams like PSG.”

He added: “We have a lot of talented players in the middle, so there’s a lot of competition. We can all start, so it’s hard for the manager to choose who plays. I’m just ready whenever it’s my time.”

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AC Milan USA tour 2024: Schedule, tickets, stadiums and more

Christian Pulisic and Co. will return to the United States during their preseason

For the second straight year, AC Milan will tour the United States during its preseason.

Last year, the Rossoneri played three matches in the U.S. as Christian Pulisic took his first steps with his new team.

Now an established star with Milan, Pulisic and his teammates will return this summer and will again play three matches in the United States.

Milan will take part in the Soccer Champions Tour, which also includes Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester City.

Here are AC Milan’s fixtures for its 2024 summer tour of the United States. Tickets are available now, and more information can be found HERE.

AC Milan USA tour 2024

July 27: AC Milan vs. Manchester City — Yankee Stadium, New York, NY.

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July 31: AC Milan vs. Real Madrid — Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.

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August 6: AC Milan vs. Barcelona — M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD.

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Soccer Champions Tour 2024: Schedule, tickets, stadiums and more

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Manchester City will all play in the U.S. this summer

The Soccer Champions Tour will return in 2024, with five European powers set to tour the United States during preseason.

The Soccer Champions Tour debuted in 2023, and will return this summer with six games featuring five clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Manchester City.

The marquee event of the Soccer Champions Tour will be a preseason El Clásico featuring Real Madrid and Barcelona, with this year’s edition taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

SHOP: 2024 El Clásico tickets

American fans will also get the chance to see AC Milan star Christian Pulisic face Madrid and Barcelona in Chicago and Baltimore, respectively, as well as Manchester City in New York.

“Soccer Champions Tour is thrilled to return this summer with enticing matchups featuring some of the world’s most storied clubs for fans in the U.S. to witness the beautiful game at the highest level,” said Joe Carr, the commissioner of the Soccer Champions Tour.

“With all five clubs possessing passionate supporters that span the globe, we’re pleased to unveil an exciting range of matches throughout the U.S., a market experiencing exponential growth in the sport’s popularity.”

Here are the Soccer Champions Tour fixtures for 2024 in the United States. Tickets to all games are available now, and all information can be found HERE.

Soccer Champions Tour 2024

July 27: Manchester City vs. AC Milan — Yankee Stadium, New York, NY.

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July 30: Barcelona vs. Manchester City — Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL.

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July 31: Real Madrid vs. AC Milan — Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.

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August 3: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ.

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August 6: Barcelona vs. AC Milan — M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD.

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August 6: Real Madrid vs. Chelsea — Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC.

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Pulisic scores in fourth straight, breaks personal goal record with Verona finish

Pulisic is in the form of his life this season for AC Milan, bagging his 12th goal of the campaign on Sunday

In front of goal, things have never been better for Christian Pulisic.

The U.S. men’s national team attacker scored his 12th goal of the season for AC Milan, getting on the scoresheet for the fourth straight match as the Rossoneri defeated Hellas Verona 3-1.

Pulisic has been on a superb run over the past month, posting five goals and two assists in Milan’s last seven matches, and has drawn three red cards for opposing players to boot.

Sunday’s strike at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi might have been the easiest goal of the bunch. Noah Okafor did most of the heavy lifting on what would eventually be the match-winner, stripping Verona’s Paweł Dawidowicz near midfield in the 50th minute.

The Switzerland forward would sprint away and go for goal himself only for Lorenzo Montipò to make a save at the near post.

Unfortunately for the Verona goalkeeper, the player to win the race for the rebound was Pulisic, who calmly tapped the loose ball into the empty net.

The tally takes Pulisic up to 12 goals and eight assists in all competitions, following up on goals against Empoli and Slavia Prague, who saw the USMNT star get on the scoresheet in both legs of a Europa League last-16 tie. Per Opta, no other American in a top-five league has scored in four straight games since at least 2010.

Watch Pulisic score his 12th of the season

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Juventus took McKennie’s locker and parking spot away last summer, Berhalter says

Juventus wanted the USMNT midfielder out, but he worked his way back into the club’s good graces

Juventus really seemed to want Weston McKennie out last summer.

After the midfielder returned from an ill-fated loan at Leeds, he got a rather frosty welcome back to the Serie A giants.

Juventus reportedly told McKennie that he wasn’t in the club’s plans for the 2023-24 season. The American midfielder himself has said “I came back and I felt like nobody really cared.”

But that level of dismissal went one step further apparently. According to U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, McKennie didn’t even have a place to park or change in Turin when he arrived for preseason.

“Weston was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn’t have a locker and he didn’t have a parking spot,” Berhalter said on a conference call Wednesday after naming his Nations League roster.

But as we all know now, things turned around quickly for McKennie. First he earned his way into manager Max Allegri’s plans for the season, then he became a regular starter. Now, as the season enters its final months, McKennie is one of the first names on the teamsheet and reportedly nearing a contract extension.

Berhalter was full of praise for the 25-year-old, who is now second in the Serie A assist charts after a two-assist performance over the weekend.

“Most players would say ‘OK, I’m done. I’m leaving this club. It’s not for me,'” Berhalter said.

“And Weston said, ‘I’m going to dig and I’m going to prove that I belong.’ And he’s done not only that, but he’s proven to be one of the best players of Juventus this year and one of the top midfielders in all Serie A.

“So it shows his mentality, shows his growth as a person. And it shows that he’s able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. And I think that’s a mark of a really good player.”

McKennie and Juventus have one more game before the international break, as they face Genoa on Sunday. The midfielder will then travel to Texas to meet up with his USMNT teammates ahead of a Nations League semifinal against Jamaica on Thursday.

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Pulisic strikes again as Milan beats Lazio 2-0

Pulisic was in top form as the Rossoneri picked up three points in a tough Serie A clash

Christian Pulisic is really embracing la dolce vita.

The U.S. men’s national team star opened the scoring for AC Milan in a 2-0 win over Lazio, capping off a superb performance for himself by striking his side’s opening goal on the half-volley.

After an uneventful first half that was only really punctuated by an injury for Ruben Loftus-Cheek — Yunus Musah entered in the England midfielder’s stead in the 29th minute — Milan began pressing more aggressively, eventually setting the stage for Pulisic to give his side the lead on the hour mark.

With Olivier Giroud occupying multiple defenders amid some slick one-touch passing, Pulisic ghosted in towards the penalty spot to fire Rafael Leão’s clipped cross past Ivan Provedel.

The goal is Pulisic’s third in eight appearances since making a €22 million summer move to Serie A. It also follows up the Hershey, Pa. native’s assist mid-week, when Pulisic set Loftus-Cheek up for Milan’s final goal in a 3-1 victory over Cagliari.

14 minutes after opening the scoring on Saturday, Pulisic set Musah up for what would have been a magical second. Unfortunately for the Rossoneri, Musah’s spinning volley was denied brilliantly by Ivan Provedel. Noah Okafor would end up tacking on a late second to seal the win for Stefano Pioli’s side.

The victory moved Milan top of the Serie A table for a few hours, only for city rivals Inter to vault back ahead with a rout of Salernitana later on Saturday.

“From the first half we put a lot of pressure on them, we pushed hard and the goal was only a matter of time,” Pulisic told DAZN after the match. “We finally scored it, from then on it was a great performance.”

Pulisic added that Milan must “take it one game at a time” to have a shot at staying atop the table by season’s end. “If we do this we have a good chance of winning. Today went well, we’re already thinking about the next game.”

Watch Pulisic’s strike for Milan in Lazio win

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AC Milan vs. Lazio: How to watch Serie A clash

Milan is looking to keep pace in Serie A, while Lazio needs points to turn its season around

Two of Serie A’s best teams from last season meet on Saturday, with AC Milan hosting Lazio at the San Siro.

Both clubs finished their 2022-23 campaigns in the Champions League places in Italy, but have started out this season going in different directions. Milan, having added U.S. men’s national team stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah, will take the field tied for first with city rivals Inter, trailing only on goal difference.

Still, things have not been entirely positive for the Rossoneri. While Stefano Pioli’s side has won its last two matches, there is still a sense of nerviness around the club after a heavy loss to Inter was followed by an aggravating home draw with Newcastle in the Champions League.

Lazio, meanwhile, should be feeling some urgency. The Rome-based club has lost three of its six matches in Serie A this term, and sits a disappointing 12th in the standings. Goals have been hard to come by: Lazio has just seven goals in the league this season.

Here is everything you need to know to watch Milan battle Lazio.

How to watch AC Milan vs. Lazio

When: Saturday, September 30

Time: 12:00 p.m. ET

Where: San Siro

Channel/streaming: Paramount+

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AC Milan manager Pioli: Musah is a complete player

“Wherever I use him, he will be important for the team”

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has praised Yunus Musah’s versatility, saying the U.S. national team midfielder is a “complete player.”

Musah has begun to emerge as an important squad player for Milan after his offseason arrival from Valencia, making five total appearances for the club so far this season.

The 20-year-old has played multiple roles for the Rossoneri, starting as a wide player against Hellas Verona last weekend before coming off the bench at Cagliari in midweek and playing in defensive midfield.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Lazio, where Musah could make his second start of the season, Pioli praised the USMNT man, saying he could play all three midfield roles in his 4-3-3 formation.

“Musah can play in all three positions,” Pioli said. “He has different characteristics from [Rade] Krunić and [Yacine] Adli, and he is able to penetrate when he plays further forward.

“He has qualities that we will need a lot; he is a complete player, and wherever I use him, he will be important for the team.”

Though he typically operates in a 4-3-3, Pioli said that he was considering moving to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the match against Lazio.

“I am considering it because [Christian] Pulisic is in good shape and in midfield, we have five players for six positions,” Pioli said. “Plus, I like [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek as a central midfielder; these are things that need a bit of testing.

“At the moment, we are working on other solutions, but 4-2-3-1 during the game is an option.”

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Musah wonders if getting punched in the head is worth a red card

This sure looked like a red card, but it wasn’t even reviewed by VAR

Like most people who saw the replay, Yunus Musah is wondering how Nahitan Nández could simply punch him in the head and get away with it.

Late in AC Milan’s 3-1 win at Cagliari on Wednesday, Musah appeared to have a pretty clear red card shout when the Uruguay international lashed out in frustration, punching the Milan midfielder in the back of the head and following through.

Despite the Cagliari captain’s clear violation, the referee didn’t spot it and VAR didn’t intervene either. Nández could still potentially face punishment if Serie A chooses to review the incident.

Musah played the final half hour of Milan’s win, which took them level on points atop the Serie A table with city rivals Inter. Christian Pulisic started and turned in a strong performance, playing a major part in Milan’s opener before assisting Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the club’s third.

In a since-deleted post on his Instagram story, Musah offered his take on the incident. The 20-year-old invited his followers to participate in a poll, asking whether Nández should have been shown a red card.

All three options were “yes.”

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