USA Star Christian Pulisic Dealt Bad News Before FIFA World Cup
Christian Pulisic and the United States men's national soccer team are set to begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on home soil, looking to surprise the world and bring home the trophy. The USMNT was placed in Group D and will open against Paraguay on June 12 before facing Australia and Turkey in hopes of advancing to the knockout stage.
Pulisic has been arguably the USA's best player since joining the national team in 2016. In 84 appearances, the forward from Hershey (Pennsylvania) has tallied 32 goals and 19 assists. Pulisic also helped guide the USMNT to the knockout round in the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Qatar) before falling to Virgil van Dijk and the Netherlands in the round of 16.
Pulisic also became a star in the Italian Serie A with AC Milan, but the 2025-26 season was a tale of two halves for the USA forward. In his first 11 games of the season, he recorded eight goals and two assists. However, over his final 20 matches, he struggled, failing to score a goal while tallying just two assists.
Still, Pulisic helped AC Milan remain in the fight for a UEFA Champions League spot until the final week of the season, with the top four teams in Serie A earning qualification. Entering the final week, AC Milan sat in fourth place with 70 points, while Como and Juventus trailed closely behind with 68 points each.
However, AC Milan fell to Cagliari 2-1, while Como handled Cremonese 4-1. As a result, AC Milan finished the season with 70 points (5th), while Como jumped them in the standings with 71 points (4th). Juventus also remained behind Milan after drawing 2-2 with Torino to finish with 69 points (6th).
And for the second straight season, Pulisic and AC Milan missed out on the Champions League and instead will head to the Europa League following a fifth-place finish. After missing out on the Champions League, AC Milan also parted ways with coach Massimiliano Allegri.
" OFFICIAL: AC Milan will play Europa League football next season. ," Soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano wrote on X.
OFFICIAL: AC Milan will play Europa League football next season.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2026
Pulisic and the USMNT will face Paraguay on June 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California).
Related: USMNT Star Johnny Cardoso Reacts After Patrick Agyemang's World Cup-Ending Injury
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 8:08 PM.