%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
AC Milan and USMNT Star Christian Pulisic Reach Champions League Milestone
U.S. men's national team star Christian Pulisic is no stranger to showing up under the UEFA Champions League lights.
The Hershey, Pennsylvania native scored in the 2020–21 Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid en route to Chelsea lifting the trophy over Manchester City in the final. Pulisic made an appearance off the bench in the final when Kai Havertz's lone strike sealed the trophy as he became just the second USMNT player to win the competition after Jovan Kirovski did so with Borussia Dortmund in 1997.
However, in the 26-year-old's most recent outing for AC Milan, he scored his 10th Champions League goal, reaching double-digit figures in the top European competition. The former Borussia Dortmund forward scored an Olimpico goal—a goal scored directly from a corner kick—in Milan's 3–1 win over Club Brugge at the San Siro.
🚨 CHRISTIAN PULISIC #UCL OLIMPICO!!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/NSgfJMunLu
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 22, 2024
JOIN SI SOCCER'S USMNT WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE
For context, USMNT legends Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan weren't able to come close to the same figures in Europe during their impressive club careers. Neither player managed a single goal in the Champions League while Dempsey did manage two goals in Europa League action for Premier League side Fulham.
It was an important goal scored by Pulisic as Milan were searching for its first Champions League win of the 2024–25 season after previous defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders bagged a second-half brace to help seal the three points for the Italian club.
The goal was Pulisic's second in the current Champions League season and seventh across all competitions for the Rossoneri since the start of the campaign. Pulisic is now up to 10 goal contributions in 11 appearances as Milan aims to climb up the Serie A table with their American star in excellent form.
READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
feed
Braden Chalker is a freelance writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. men's national team.