Tag: Serie A

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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Report: McKennie has Saudi Arabia, MLS offers as Juventus contract talks continue

The USMNT midfielder will have plenty of options as his contract nears its final year

Weston McKennie’s outstanding season with Juventus has left him with plenty of options.

One year after an ill-fated loan to Leeds, McKennie has become a fixture for Juve in 2023-24. The U.S. national team midfielder has started nearly all of the club’s matches while tallying a career-high 10 assists.

McKennie’s contract with Juve expires at the end of next season, making this upcoming summer crucial to his future with the team. Juventus has been in talks with McKennie over a new contract, but may be forced to sell if a deal can’t be reached.

Calciomercato has reported that Juventus made an offer to McKennie that would maintain his annual salary of €2.5 million and extend his deal by a season or two.

That offer was rejected by McKennie’s entourage, with further talks expected in the coming days.

In the meantime, the report says that the USMNT star already has offers on the table from MLS and Saudi Arabia — two leagues with a lower standard of play than Serie A which can undoubtedly offer more lucrative financial terms.

McKennie has never played in MLS, but came up through the FC Dallas academy before moving to Schalke in 2016.

Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is reportedly a fan of McKennie, and sees the American as an important part of the project regardless of whether head coach Massimiliano Allegri sticks around next season.

For now, it’s unclear how high Giuntoli may be willing to go. If McKennie can’t find the terms he’d like at Juventus, he’ll undoubtedly have plenty of suitors elsewhere.

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Roma defender Ndicka released from hospital after in-game collapse

The defender was rushed to the hospital after collapsing against Udinese on Sunday

Roma defender Evan Ndicka has been released from the hospital after a frightening collapse during Sunday’s match against Udinese.

Ndicka bent down and fell to the turf during the second half of the match with what Roma later said was a “medical emergency.” The 24-year-old was rushed to the hospital, and the match was abandoned with the score tied 1-1 at Bluenergy Stadium in Udine.

“Evan is feeling better and is in good spirits,” Roma posted on X in the aftermath of the match. “He will remain in the hospital for further observations. Forza Evan!”

On Monday, the club provided another update, saying that test had come out negative for “cardiac pathologies” and that he had suffered a collapsed lung.

According to a club statement:

Following acute precordial pain and atypical alternations in the EKG administered in the first aid room at the stadium, the player Evan Ndicka was hospitalized at the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Udine.

First and second-level cardiological tests were administered that were negative for cardiac pathologies. In light of the last tests undergone this morning, the medical situation is compatible with a thoracic trauma with minimal left pneumothorax [collapsed lung].

The player was discharged and will undergo additional tests in Rome.

AS Roma wishes to thank Udinese Calcio, referee Mr. Pairetto, the public present at the stadium in Udine and the medical and health staff at the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Udine for their great professionalism and availability.

In those frantic minutes of apprehension, we all together demonstrated sports values and placed protecting life at first place.

Ndicka was born in Paris, but plays internationally for Ivory Coast after representing France at various youth levels. He joined Roma as a free agent prior to the current season after spending five seasons in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt.

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Report: AC Milan prepared to extend Pulisic’s contract

Amid an outstanding season, the American star is already in line for an extension

AC Milan is reportedly prepared to extend Christian Pulisic’s contract by one season.

According to Monday’s edition of Corriere dello Sport, Milan has already been sufficiently impressed by the American to exercise its option to extend his deal by an extra campaign.

Pulisic signed a contract through 2027 when he joined the Rossoneri from Chelsea in the summer, and he could now see his deal extended through 2028.

The report comes amid a season in which Pulisic has already set a career high for goals with 13 in all competitions, including 10 in Serie A. Only three players have more non-penalty Serie A goals than Pulisic this season, and only five have more combined goals and assists.

Corriere dello Sport called Pulisic his club’s “best summer signing,” adding that the 25-year-old is feeling settled and happy with life in Italy after spending four seasons in England.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli was full of praise for Pulisic after his latest goal, which came in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Lecce.

“I must say that when I have video meetings to explain to a player what our path and ideas are, I’m rarely wrong about personal and character sensations,” the coach told DAZN. “Pulisic is a quality player, I already knew him. But when we spoke two or three times I heard something very positive. I saw desire and curiosity in him. I found everything I had heard.

“He’s not a guy who opens up a lot, it’s not what makes the difference but his attitude does. He has a fantastic attitude, about the team and about everyone. An exemplary worker and professional like all Milan players, this has raised the level of professionalism and seriousness that will help the group become ever stronger.”

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Pulisic’s banner season continues with sensational strike at Lecce

The USMNT star scored his 13th goal of the season just six minutes in

The Christian Pulisic at No. 10 experiment didn’t take long to prove a huge success.

The U.S. men’s national team star was played at the trequartista role for AC Milan’s match against Lecce on Saturday, and he only took six minutes to find the net with an outstanding strike.

Samuel Chukwueze did some great work on the right flank before cutting a pass back to Pulisic at the top of the box. From there, the American cut onto his left foot and fired a shot that took a slight deflection on the way into the far corner.

It was the 13th goal of the season for Pulisic in all competitions, and his 10th in Serie A. Having already set a career high for total goals, the Pennsylvania native has now reached double figures in league goals for the first time in his career.

Pulisic has been used as a wide attacker in Stefano Pioli’s 4-2-3-1 setup this season, but with normal No. 10 Ruben Loftus-Cheek suspended on Saturday, Pioli gave the USMNT star the chance to play inside.

Pioli’s decision paid off quickly at the San Siro. Milan would go on to win 3-0, as Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leão added goals in a comfortable victory.

Speaking to DAZN after the game, Pioli was full of praise for his American forward.

“I must say that when I have video meetings to explain to a player what our path and ideas are, I’m rarely wrong about personal and character sensations,” the coach said. “Pulisic is a quality player, I already knew him. But when we spoke two or three times I heard something very positive. I saw desire and curiosity in him. I found everything I had heard.

“He’s not a guy who opens up a lot, it’s not what makes the difference but his attitude does. He has a fantastic attitude, about the team and about everyone. An exemplary worker and professional like all Milan players, this has raised the level of professionalism and seriousness that will help the group become ever stronger.”

Watch Pulisic’s goal vs. Lecce

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AC Milan boss Pioli: Pulisic could play No. 10 role vs. Lecce

The USMNT star may get a shot at a new role this weekend

Christian Pulisic has excelled for AC Milan this season as a wide attacking player, but it appears he could get a shot to play as a No. 10 this weekend.

Milan will face Lecce in a Serie A match on Saturday at San Siro, with the club’s usual No. 10, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, suspended after picking up a yellow card last weekend.

That leaves head coach Stefano Pioli with a conundrum. With three in-form attacking players in Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze and Rafael Leão, Pioli could be tempted to try and fit them all into the same lineup in Loftus-Cheek’s absence.

The coach said at his pre-match press conference that he could play Pulisic as the No. 10 in his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Chukwueze and Leão on either side and Olivier Giroud at striker.

“It’s a solution we are evaluating,” said Pioli of the setup.

Chukwueze has struggled for much of his first season at Milan after a summer move from Villarreal, but the Nigeria winger has started to turn things around over the past several games.

“I am delighted with Chukwu,” Pioli said. “My collaborators showed him some videos today, and the stats we collected in the last three games are even superior to those from his time at Villarreal. He is fit, physically and mentally, he must continue like this. He has important characteristics for the attack.”

In January, Pioli indicated he’d like to try Pulisic as the No. 10 — or trequartista — at some stage, but he couldn’t at that point with Chukwueze away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

It seems like Saturday could be the time for Pulisic to play his first minutes in Milan as a trequartista.

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Juventus confirms McKennie racially abused by Lazio fans

The USMNT midfielder confirmed the incident during Tuesday’s Coppa Italia match

Juventus has said it will “take all necessary measures” after Weston McKennie confirmed he was racially abused by Lazio fans during Tuesday’s Coppa Italia match.

Video emerged on social media showing the American midfielder being targeted as he walked on the side of the pitch following his late substitution in a 2-0 Juventus win.

On Thursday, Juventus released a statement saying McKennie confirmed he had been subject to discriminatory chants from visiting Lazio fans at Allianz Stadium.

“Juventus Football Club takes note of the video circulated on social networks and reported by some media from which the intonation of discriminatory chants emerged coming from the visiting section, and directed at Weston McKennie during his substitution in the Juventus-Lazio semifinal first leg of the Italian Cup, played on April 2,” the statement said.

“Following confirmation of the incident by the player, the club communicates that it has activated all procedures aimed at verifying what happened and will fully cooperate in order to identify the persons responsible and, consequently, take all necessary measures in this regard.”

McKennie assisted Dušan Vlahović during the semifinal first leg, as Juve took a major step toward next month’s final.

The incident involving McKennie is far from the first time Lazio fans have been accused of racism recently. The club was hit with a partial stadium ban in January for racist chants toward Roma’s Romelu Lukaku, while fans brought Lecce’s Samuel Umtiti to tears early last year.

The club also has a recent history of run-ins with USMNT players, as its fans targeted Christian Pulisic with death threats last month after a game in which the American drew red cards from two Lazio players.

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Pulisic’s father: It’s a misconception he disappointed at Chelsea

Mark Pulisic said that his son simply wasn’t given a consistent chance with the Blues

Christian Pulisic’s father has defended his son’s time at Chelsea, saying that it’s a “misconception” he disappointed with the Premier League giants.

Pulisic struggled to find consistent playing time during his spell in London, setting a career low in minutes last season before moving to AC Milan in the summer.

But the U.S. national team star also experienced his share of highs during his four years with Chelsea, as he scored 26 total goals and helped the Blues win the 2020-21 Champions League.

According to Mark Pulisic, his son didn’t disappoint at Chelsea as much as he simply wasn’t given a consistent chance to impress.

“For me it’s not true that Christian disappointed at Chelsea. He simply didn’t play regularly,” Mark said on his podcast, as recorded by Gazzetta dello Sport.

“For me he is now reaching his peak, he is 25 years old, he works hard to develop his game and is respected by his teammates.”

Pulisic has thrived in his first season in Milan, receiving the consistent minutes he never could while at Chelsea. The USMNT star has already set a career high in goals with 12 while starting almost every week.

Pulisic’s father credited Milan coach Stefano Pioli for giving his son the latitude to make mistakes, as well as some former Chelsea teammates for helping him adjust to the Rossoneri.

“Christian has had everyone’s trust,” he said. “Pioli trusts him, he always lets him play and doesn’t immediately replace him if things go wrong. Then he likes Milan and he always speaks well of his teammates. Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud helped him a lot when it came to choosing Milan.”

Though Pulisic is thriving in Milan, his father stopped short of saying that he could stay for the rest of his career. The forward’s time at Chelsea taught him that nothing in the game is permanent.

“Football changes quickly and we have understood for some time that this is a business. You can only think in the short term,” Mark said.

Still, Pulisic’s father insisted his son has no desire to go anywhere else in the near future.

“Let’s be clear: Christian loves Milan and wants to stay. He lives in Busto Arsizio to be close to Milanello (Milan’s training center). He’s learning to speak Italian and he gets on very well with teammates like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Yunus Musah.”

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Pulisic credits Pioli for AC Milan success: ‘He’s come through on his promises’

The USMNT forward has already set a career high in goals this season

Amid a career-best season in Italy, Christian Pulisic has credited AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli for keeping his promises.

In his first season with Milan, Pulisic has already set a career high for goals in all competitions with 12. After entering the international break on a run of four straight games with a goal, the American forward still has a minimum of 11 games remaining this season to add to his haul.

Pulisic struggled for regular playing time during the end of his spell at Chelsea, but he’s started 25 of Milan’s 29 league games so far. Speaking to Fox Sports, Pulisic said Pioli has held up his end of the bargain after lobbying for him to join Milan last summer.

“He has really come through on his promises,” Pulisic said. “It’s not just knowing you’re going to play — it’s having someone who really spoke to me before and really wanted me to come in.

“He’s given me an opportunity to go out and be myself the best way I know how, and has fit into what works best for the team. I think we’ve found a good balance of that.”

Pioli has been under pressure at times this season, but the coach appears to have steadied the ship of late. Milan is currently second place in the Serie A table and has reached the last eight of the Europa League, where a meeting with Italian rival Roma awaits.

Pulisic also spoke highly of the lifestyle in Milan, which he said has been a refreshing change of pace after five years in London.

“The lifestyle over here is definitely a shift from London,” Pulisic said. “Everything feels a bit slowed-down. Obviously nicer weather. It’s been a great change for me.

“Everything was moving kind of 100 miles an hour when I was in London, and the football culture was crazy. Here, I’ve been able to get away from the game, too, and enjoy the lifestyle, the culture, the food. I’m liking it a lot.”

Pulisic will aim to add to his record goal haul on Saturday, when Milan visits Fiorentina in a Serie A match.

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Report: McKennie rejects Juventus contract offer with reduced salary

The USMNT midfielder could be on the move this summer

Could Juventus sell Weston McKennie after a season in which he’s become one of the club’s most vital players?

That seems to be a possibility after the U.S. men’s national team midfielder reportedly rejected the club’s latest contract offer that featured a reduced salary.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus offered the 25-year-old a new contract with lower terms that was swiftly turned down. With McKennie’s current deal expiring after next season, Juventus could look to sell the American this summer rather than risk losing him for free in 2025.

That would be a somewhat surprising development after McKennie has worked his way back to being a key player for Juve this season.

After returning from a half-season loan with Leeds last season, Juventus reportedly told McKennie that he wasn’t in the club’s plans for the 2023-24 campaign.

But despite a hostile reception (USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said McKennie didn’t even have a locker or parking spot at Juve), the midfielder has won over head coach Max Allegri to become one of the first names on the team sheet this season.

McKennie has started all but four of Juve’s league games this season, and has nine assists in all competitions. His seven Serie A assists is second in the league’s assist chart.

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