Tag: Christian Pulisic

Inter Miami youngster Cremaschi impressing Pulisic, Ream at first USMNT camp

Add Pulisic and Ream to the list of players who see big things for Cremaschi

These are heady days for Inter Miami’s Benjamin Cremaschi.

Less than a year ago, the 18-year-old was suiting up for the club’s MLS Next Pro side, pursuing an MLS contract.

Flash forward just 10 months, and the dual national is routinely connecting with Lionel Messi and getting U.S. men’s national team call-ups.

The latest chapter showing just how much Cremaschi’s life has changed came Thursday, when USMNT veterans Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream both singled the versatile Miami midfielder out for praise.

Asked on Ream’s The American Dream podcast for new faces in camp that have impressed, Pulisic cited Cremaschi right away.

“I really like this kid out of Miami, man,” said Pulisic. “Nice kid. It’s been exciting to follow Miami recently for obvious reasons. And yeah, I like him. In the few trainings I’ve seen him, I see a lot of potential there as well. So that’d be one that I would say [has impressed], but, I mean, [I’ve] seen good things from a lot of them, to be honest, a lot of the new guys.”

Cremaschi has been a high-energy compliment to Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, producing one goal and four assists since the trio of former Barcelona stars joined Miami. New manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino has used the Miami native as both a box-to-box midfielder and on the wing, and like teammate Robert Taylor has thrived in the open space created by opponents collapsing on Messi.

Cremaschi looking ‘sharp’ at USMNT camp

For his part, Ream’s evaluation of the USMNT’s newcomers took him to the same conclusion, with the Fulham defender praising Cremaschi’s game as well.

“Yeah, I would agree,” said Ream, adding that in his view, Cremaschi “has looked good.”

“He’s looked sharp. He’s technical, not afraid to get into a tackle,” continued Ream. “Benja and I think Kristoffer [Lund], he’s kind of settling in [too]. Obviously English is more of a second language, but both very good with their English. [Cremaschi] has been the most impressive for sure in the couple of training sessions that we’ve had.”

Ream alluded to another dual national in camp, the Danish-American fullback Lund. That proved timely, as FIFA approved the Palermo left back’s one-time federation switch shortly after the podcast episode was published.

For Cremaschi, meanwhile, an appearance in the USMNT’s friendlies against Uzbekistan (Sept. 9) and Oman (Sept. 12) would not guarantee his international future to U.S. Soccer. As both matches are friendlies, Cremaschi would still be eligible to play for Argentina, who have Messi lobbying his club teammate to keep the Albiceleste in mind.

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Pulisic: ‘I’d love to’ play in MLS later in my career

Playing in MLS sounds right up Pulisic’s alley…just, not quite yet

Christian Pulisic can see himself in MLS one of these days.

The U.S. men’s national team star is having a successful start to life with AC Milan after a summer transfer, but he has enthusiasm for playing in MLS before he hangs up his boots.

Speaking on USMNT teammate Tim Ream’s podcast The American Dream, Pulisic got into the sensation that is Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, before discussing how he’d feel about following the Argentine great to MLS.

“Absolutely, I’d love to,” exclaimed Pulisic. “Not in the, you know, near-near future for sure, but yeah, I absolutely would love to. Towards the end of my career, I’d love to.”

Given Pulisic’s age (24) and the fact that his move to Milan is going great, the USMNT attacker may be staying in Europe for a good long while. However, his enthusiasm for the idea was clear, even if we may be talking about a move that could end up being close to a decade away.

Pulisic: ‘I want to grow the sport in this country’

Unlike many of the USMNT’s European-based contingent, Pulisic has never been on the books of any MLS club. The Hershey, Pa. native joined Borussia Dortmund at 16, breaking through with the club’s senior team less than one year after starting out in the academy system.

Since then, Pulisic has spent his time at some of the world’s biggest clubs, moving to Chelsea in 2019, and then transferring to Milan in July.

The pull to someday play in the U.S. is there though, with Pulisic noting that he felt like signing with an MLS club down the road could help accelerate the game’s growth in the States.

“I want to grow the sport in this country more than anyone, it’s super important to me,” said Pulisic. “I think I’ve seen, just coming back in the last however long my career has been, how much the game has grown. It’s awesome to see. If I can be a small part in that, and hopefully — like I said, towards the end of my career — come back and build a little bit more excitement around the game and have our best American players playing in MLS, I think it’s gonna help a lot.”

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Pulisic named AC Milan player of the month for August

The USMNT star is having a major impact with his new club

Christian Pulisic has been named AC Milan’s player of the month for August.

The U.S. national team star has hit the ground running at San Siro following an offseason move from Chelsea.

Pulisic scored on his Milan debut against Bologna, netting a sensational goal from distance after a one-two with Olivier Giroud. He followed that up with another goal on his second Milan appearance, scoring on his home debut against Torino.

Pulisic nearly scored again in a win against Roma before the international break, with an outstanding save from Rui Patrício denying the USMNT winger his third goal in a row.

In addition to his individual success, Pulisic has also helped Milan win all three of its opening Serie A games, with the Rossoneri sitting in second place on goal difference behind city rivals Inter.

Following the International break, Pulisic is set to play in his first Milan derby as Milan and Inter meet on September 16 in a top-of-the-table clash.

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Pulisic wants to see some of those Messi-watching celebs at USMNT games

Note to Prince Harry and Leonardo DiCaprio: The USMNT star wants you!

A plethora of A-list celebrities were in the crowd on Sunday in Los Angeles, catching a glimpse of Lionel Messi as he starred for Inter Miami in a 3-1 win at LAFC.

Seeing the likes of Owen Wilson, Prince Harry, Selena Gomez, Edward Norton and Leonardo DiCaprio at BMO Stadium has led Christian Pulisic to wonder: Where are all those celebs when the U.S. men’s national team is playing?

MLS posted a video on Instagram highlighting the star power in the stands on Sunday, to which Pulisic responded on his own Instagram story.

“Let them know they’re invited to U.S. national team games too,” the USMNT star said with a laughing emoji.

To be fair to said celebs (or at least the LA-based ones), the USMNT doesn’t give them a whole lot of big occasions at which they can make their presence known.

Outside of winter camp friendlies involving squads full of reserve players, the last time the USMNT played a game in the Los Angeles area was the CONCACAF Cup against Mexico at the Rose Bowl in 2015.

Mexico won that game 3-2 in front of a very pro-El Tri crowd in Pasadena.

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All hail the ‘USA! USA!’ AC Milan announcer losing his mind over Pulisic

This guy is really committed to the bit

Christian Pulisic is winning over a lot of AC Milan fans quickly, none quite as entertainingly as MilanTV announcer Mauro Suma.

Pulisic has scored in both of his first two Milan appearances, with each of his goals greeted by an incredibly enthusiastic rendition of “USA! USA! USA!” from Suma.

First there was Pulisic’s debut goal against Bologna, a stunner from distance. Then Pulisic scored again versus Torino, this time from a bit closer.

On both occasions Suma interrupts his flow in Italian to deliver his version of the ubiquitous chant heard at most international events involving an American team.

We are even willing to look past Suma’s usage of the “Captain America” moniker that Pulisic himself doesn’t love. When you are this committed to the bit, it’s hard to quibble with the odd detail here and there.

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USMNT players in UEFA Champions League 2023-24

11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition

There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.

It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.

Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.

Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper:

USMNT transfer rater: Grading every player’s move this summer

It’s a big summer for the USMNT, with a majority of its key players looking for new clubs

It’s a big summer for the U.S. men’s national team.

We aren’t talking about the Nations League or the Gold Cup here, though those are clearly significant in their own right. Instead, we’re talking about the summer transfer window, which promises to be one of the more active ones in recent memory for the USMNT.

Nearly all of the team’s top players have the potential to change clubs in the summer of 2023. With three years to go until a World Cup on home soil, the decisions USMNT players make this summer could determine their trajectory ahead of 2026.

With that in mind, we are tracking and rating all of the most significant completed moves for USMNT players this summer.

The Americans Abroad Five: Pulisic takes Serie A by storm

It’s early, but €20 million is looking like a real bargain for the USMNT star

It’s extremely early, but some Chelsea fans are already starting to have some regrets over letting Christian Pulisic go.

You can’t totally blame them. Though it is, once again, very early, you can’t really do better than Pulisic’s start at AC Milan: two games, two star performances, two goals and two wins.

At €20 million, Pulisic is certainly looking like a true bargain in a market where, to pick one completely random example, a club in west London paid €100 million for an unproven winger from the Ukrainian league.

As Milan captain Davide Calabria put it: “This is the best environment for him — the squad, the fans and this stadium — in order to to steal the limelight again.”

So far, it’s hard to argue with Calabria. Let’s get to the Five.

Pulisic living large in Serie A, bags another goal for AC Milan

Pulisic is thriving with the Rossoneri

Life in Italy seems to be suiting Christian Pulisic to a tee.

The U.S. men’s national team star may or may not be enjoying the ossobucco and risotto alla Milanese, but he’s certainly thriving with AC Milan.

Pulisic made it two goals from two games in Serie A, starting and finishing an attack as the Rossoneri opened the scoring against Torino on Saturday. Milan would go on to post an emphatic 4-1 win.

The connection was a familiar one, as Pulisic pounced on a loose ball at midfield to spring a transition attack against a scrambling Torino. Pulisic found his former Chelsea teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek (who helped court the USMNT attacker this summer), who drove into the box before gently rolling the ball back across the box.

Olivier Giroud found the pass to be just out of reach, but Pulisic had kept his run going, finishing the play off with a tap-in.

Pulisic nearly added a second in the game’s final stages after being teed up by USMNT teammate Yunus Musah, who made his Milan debut as a 66th minute substitute.

This goal came less than a week after Pulisic’s first competitive goal in red and black, which was an absolute thunderbolt against Bologna. Starting nominally on the right side of Stefano Pioli’s front three, Pulisic has shown instant chemistry with Giroud (another former Blues teammate) and Portugal winger Rafael Leão.

Pioli praised Pulisic after the match, but chose to temper some expectations on the 24-year-old and on his team after an excellent start to the season.

“He is very intelligent,” Pioli said of Pulisic. “We all know what the football world is like, we need to be balanced in the positive and negative evaluations. I saw progress from the Bologna game, but also things we can do better, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

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Pulisic scores sensational goal on AC Milan debut

The USMNT star didn’t take long to make a big impact with his new club

Christian Pulisic marked his AC Milan debut with a bang, scoring a tremendous goal from distance in the first half against Bologna.

The U.S. national team star was in Milan’s lineup for its Serie A opener on Monday, and he didn’t take long to make an impact.

First, Pulisic played a lofted ball over Bologna’s defense for Tijjani Reijnders, who squared across the face of goal for Olivier Giroud to slam home the opener just 11 minutes in.

Ten minutes later, Pulisic and his old friend Giroud teamed up again for a goal. This time the American applied the finish, and it was a stunning way to get his account up and running in Italy.

Pulisic played a one-two with the Frenchman before unleashing a rocket from outside the box into the far corner.

With the goal, the 24-year-old became the first American to score in three of the “big five” European leagues, having now found the net in the Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A.

Pulisic’s goal would end up being the final one of the game, with Milan holding on for a season-opening 2-0 win at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

“It was a fantastic start for sure,” Pulisic said after the game. “I’m really excited to be a part of this team. The two early goals really helped us because it was a difficult game after that. And for me just a great start personally as well, nice to get a goal.”

Watch Pulisic’s AC Milan debut goal

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