Why is Christian Pulisic struggling? Injuries, a new role and questions about Milan future slowed USMNT's star

After a hot first half, Pulisic hasn't scored since December 28 as he struggles to stay healthy in Milan

At one point this season, Chrisitan Pulisic looked like one of the best players in the world. By December 8 2025, the USMNT attacker was finishing a season and a half among the elite. He had scored more goals (26) than Bukayo Saka, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer since the start of the 2024-25 season. He was by far the best Serie A player of the moment, with key goals and crucial assists for his teammates. That month, on December 28 against Hellas Verona, Pulisic scored his 10th goal of the season, another milestone in what was shaping up to be the best campaign of his career. That strike, however, remains his most recent goal to date. What happened since then? 

The 2025-26 season of the American captain started in the summer 2025 when he decided not to play the Gold Cup with the United States Men National Team under Mauricio Pochettino. The whole focus of the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund striker was to be in his best condition at the 2026 World Cup, representing his country in the tournament that will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada starting from June 11 this summer. The strategy of the American striker was clear and had a clear logic: Train with AC Milan from the first day of the pre-season under the new coach Massimiliano Allegri and be in the best condition possible. The Italian team was also coming off of a disappointing season and failed to qualify for any European tournaments, something that, it seemed, could actually help him to avoid injuries. Maybe a lighter workload would be Pulisic's friend. 

It didn't turn out that way. 

Recurring injuries 

Despite a promising start with four goals scored in the opening six Serie A matches of the season, the American international missed five games between October and November due to a muscular injury. He recovered well before facing more issues in 2026, where he showed more inconsistency in both performance and game time, something surprising compared to the first months of the season. Despite his recent assist against Torino FC, Christian Pulisic has yet to find the net in 2026, with his last goal still dating back to the one mentioned on December 28. Allegri had to deal with his injuries and with bursitis issues he had over the past months, preventing the Italian coach from being able to regularly count on Pulisic, even while he remains probably the best player on the roster. 

A new role

The biggest decision that Allegri made in the summer 2025 was the new role of Pulisic. Allegri's tactical intuition to move him further up the pitch in a 3-5-2 system, pairing him with the central striker, has proven to be one of the Italian manager's smartest moves, significantly boosting Pulisic's performances in the first part of the season. The issue is that in the mind of the Italian coach the ideal duo was composed by Pulisic and Rafael Leao, but both of them had recurring injuries that prevented Allegri from naming them in the starting lineup as much as he wished to, even if their numbers are still positive compared to the past season. 

One year ago today, Leao made 28 appearances, starting 21 matches and playing 1,826 minutes, scoring five goals and delivering eight assists. Pulisic, meanwhile, also made 28 appearances but started more games (25), playing 1,685 minutes while contributing nine goals and eight assists. This season, Leao has so far made 22 appearances, with 18 starts and 1,492 minutes played, significantly increasing his goal tally to nine, though his assists have dropped to two. Pulisic, on the other hand, has featured 23 times, starting 16 matches and playing 1,290 minutes, recording eight goals and three assists. While Leao became more decisive in front of goal compared to last season, Pulisic's numbers remain solid but slightly less consistent in terms of starts and overall impact.

Contract talks still ongoing

There are also increasing questions about the future of the USMNT captain. Talks over a new deal are still ongoing with the current contract due in the summer 2027. Speaking to Men's Journal ahead of the upcoming matches with the USMNT, Pulisic made clear he's focused on the present but also opened the door for a possible exit in the future, considering he still has to sign a new deal with the Italian giants: "I don't talk with my agent about clubs or about going somewhere else. It doesn't really affect me, so it doesn't influence me at all. Of course, when the time comes to talk about it, and there are options, I'll do that, but this isn't the moment. I'm happy to be here right now, so I'm focusing as much as possible on that." With the 2026 World Cup approaching and doubts about his future, it will be a defining summer. Both the player and the club need to find a solution in the short term, possibly before the World Cup, when he will be called to make the difference for Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT in the most-awaited World Cup of recent years.