Pulisic receives another setback before World Cup challenge
The AC Milan winger did not qualify for the Champions League with AC Milan after finishing 5th in Serie A.
Beep... beep... beep. With just 17 days to go, the World Cup is at it’s middling stage of development, where the beast is no longer abstract: it exists and is breathing, heart rate monitors are slowly beginning to up their work rate as the beeps come in faster and stronger.
Christian Pulisic will return from the World Cup on home soil to play another season with AC Milan, but he will not return to the Champions League. The Italian giants finished 5th in the league, behind the likes of Como 1907, missing out on the top 4 spots which would have secured them a place in the elite European competition.
They will instead play in the Europa League, Europe’s second competition. While it may seem like a missed opportunity, it is indeed a large deal more than they achieved last season, when they finished the domestic campaign in a miserable 9th position.
Despite the 7-point swing between the two campaigns, Pulisic will also be wondering about his form as he heads into the World Cup. The winger, known for his pace and ability to beat a man, has been in atrocious form for a worryingly long amount of time.
He scored just 8 goals in Serie A across a total of 30 games, and has not put the ball in the net for his club since December. Just two assists since August also gives USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino plenty to chew on as far as his team selection goes this summer.
The USMNT begin against Paraguay on Friday, June 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, before facing Australia on Friday, June 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Lumen Field in Seattle. Mauricio Pochettino’s side then return to Los Angeles for a final group-stage showdown with Turkey on Thursday, June 25 at 10:00 p.m. ET, again at SoFi Stadium.
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