Christian Pulisic’s worrying goal-less drought for Serie A side AC Milan has unfortunately hit new heights.
Pulisic failed to find the back of the net in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Juventus, playing 62 minutes in the match. The U.S. men’s national team star has now failed to score at club level in his last 16 Serie A outings for the Rossoneri, which has tied a career-worst run.
Despite scoring 10 goals this season in all competitions, Pulisic last scored on December 28, 2025, struggling to make much of an impact in the final-third this year.
Although AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has been forced to use Pulisic in a number of different roles, he admitted that the 27-year-old’s goal-less drought is hurting his confidence.
“Christian is a very sensitive man and this drought is hitting him harder,” Allegri said in a post-match interview with DAZN on Sunday. “He is also someone who struggles more with the physicality of duels and the lack of a center forward, but I must try to give a balance to this team, as we have an objective to achieve.
“I realize he is not entirely suited to this, I had asked him to play center right tonight and [Rafael] Leão center left, so we were without a center forward,” Allegri added. “Rest assured, by the end of the season Pulisic will have given his contribution.”
Pulisic and Milan sit third in the Serie A standings with four matches left to play this spring. Holding onto a six-point cushion in the race for a UEFA Champions League spot, the Rossoneri will aim to further pad their top-four spot when they face a trip to Sassuolo on Sunday.
It’s interesting to see many people are giving Pulisic a pass. Fact of the matter is, he is not playing well.
Additionally, it is not Allegri or Milan’s responsibility to cater to Pulisic. Like any other player, it is Pulisic’s responsibility to perform, and produce, under the circumstances, formations, and tactics, put forth by Allegri.
As already mentioned, Allegri was brought in to get Milan back into Champions League. Allegri, and his tactics, were no secret…everyone knew what they were getting.
Yet, last Fall, Pulisic was scoring goals under Allegri ball and everyone was singing his praises, but now, even though they are still playing under Allegri ball, but he is not scoring, let alone providing assists, let alone putting in good shifts, most are giving him pass? That is comical.
I’ve said before, and I will reiterate, Pulisic is not a top tier talent…he is slightly above average. For context…
…for the last three Serie A seasons, including the current one, Pulisic scored 2 goals and had 1 assist vs the top 6 teams in Serie A. His goals and assists come against the minnows. Context matters.
Johnnyrazor, I know you remember those stats because after I posted them last Fall, Pulisic went on to score the following weekend vs Napoli and you were trolling, posting that Pulisic must have read SBI and saw the shade that was being thrown at him. Snarky as it may be…I told you so.
Hopefully Pulisic reads SBI again and it gets him going again…ha!
In the interim, while Pulisic continues to be in a bad run of form, it’s important to note, it is not all his fault, but make no mistake about it, it’s not Milan’s responsibility, nor their priority, to get Pulisic scoring and assisting again. It’s Pulisic’s responsibility and he definitely bears the majority of the culpability for his current shitty play.
Is he really playing so badly though? Is there another forward for Milan scoring goals left and right? Pulisic and Leao seem to be asked to try and dribble though three defenders to get a shot, and to their credit sometimes they can. Otherwise they are one of five Milan players jogging around the middle of packed box while the rest of their team passes sideways and backwards, occasionally sending in a hopeful cross. When CP was subbed off last weekend, he had covered the most ground of any player on the field. The guy is hustling and doing what his coach asks defensively, which is more than it looks like Leao is doing. In any case they both cut frustrated figures, and after watching most of their games I don’t blame either one. The narrative is overblown and if US fans want something to worry about I would suggest starting with the defense.
jb,
“Is he really playing so badly though?”
Yes.
“Is there another forward for Milan scoring goals left and right?”
That question is a perfect example of giving Pulisic a pass. Just because no one else is scoring, it makes it okay that Pulisic is not scoring??
“When CP was subbed off last weekend, he had covered the most ground of any player on the field.”
Is that the current standard being used to evaluate a good game for Pulisic?
“The guy is hustling and doing what his coach asks defensively, which is more than it looks like Leao is doing.”
So, if Leao is playing like shit, it is okay for Pulisic to do the same?
“The narrative is overblown and if US fans want something to worry about I would suggest starting with the defense.”
I agree, the USMNT has challenges at the back, but that is deflecting, and in doing so, that is giving Pulisic a pass.
Pulisic has not scored a goal for the USMNT since Fall of 2024…is that a good thing?
Papi,
You are correct it’s not Allegri’s job to get Pulisic scoring. His job is to win games. Of Pulisic’s 10g 3a this season 9g 3a occurred when Pulisic was playing next to a traditional striker. Leao also 10g 3a, 7g 2a with a CF next to him. The Leao/Pulisic tandem striker formation hasn’t worked. Now at times Milan’s CFs have been injured but all three were available against Juventus and didn’t start. AC Milan is .500 over the last 2 months 4-4-1, losses to Napoli, Parma, Udinese, and Lazio, the last three all mid to low table clubs. Como in that time 6-2-1, Juve 5-3-1, Napoli 6-2-1. Max has to find some scoring these last 4 matches or they won’t be in CL next year.
Johnnyrazor,
Allegri has won. Milan sit in 3rd place of Serie A and are positioned to qualify for Champions League. They finished in 8th last season and did not qualify for CL.
Frankly speaking, what Allegri has accomplished with this group, which has been average at best, including Pulisic, is quite the accomplishment.
Correction, I amend my last paragraph about Pulisic…he has been utter shit the last four months.
What striker would you like Allegri to start and where would you like him to find scoring so that Pulisic can get going?…
…Fullkrug?…who has 1 goal and 0 assists.
…Gimenez?…who has 2 goals and 1 assist.
Allegri has tried just about everything possible to get this team to perform recently, and they have been shit. A few weeks ago, vs Udinese, he had Leao as a striker and Pulisic in his preferred LW position, and while Pulisic was active, he produced no goals or assists, and Milan got their asses handed to them by a score line of 3-0. You think he should go with more of that?
On a side note, and for context, currently, Udinese sit in 11th place.
Allegri is not having Milan playing without a true striker because he prefers that…he is doing it because he is running out of options.
Everyone needs to stop making excuses for Pulisic.
In the interim, what more would you like Allegri to do?
Papi:
They won early, they’re limping to the finish. It’s a similar story to Max’s final stint at Juve. If they go behind turn it off it’s over. And his strikers don’t score. They’ve scored 1g in the last 360 minutes. Pulisic has been bad, Leao’s has been bad, Fulkrug is past his prime so that they thought he was an answer is funny. As poor as the offense has been I won’t be surprised if they finish 5th.
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We see the Rossoneri as this historic club with big pockets, but they’ve really tried to be budget friendly and they’ve missed badly on a lot of moves. Modric is the #1 reason they’re in third not Max.
Johnnyrazor,
Your last post is full of false narratives. Stop making excuses for Pulisic and hold him accountable.
Pointing out Allegri as the problem is objectively and categorically false, and with respect to Pulisic’s shitty play, you are deflecting.
Agreed, Milan are limping towards the finish line, but you did not answer the question, “what more would you like Allegri to do?”
Per your own admission, Milan “tried to be budget friendly,” which is code for, they have McDonald’s grade food ingredients, yet you, and others, want Allegri to create a gourmet meal.
What you, Tactical Manager, and others, call terrorist soccer, Allegri calls pragmatic and successful. I don’t know many people, including myself, who find his tactics enjoyable to watch, but Allegri’s historical record and success, stand on their own merits, and they do so objectively.
That “terrorist soccer” was the same soccer being played this past Fall when Pulisic was scoring. You were trolling then…don’t shrink now…stand up and be accounted for. 😊
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False narrative #1 – It’s a similar story to Max’s final stint at Juve.
Wrong. Allegri, in his second and most recent stint at Juve, finished 4th in 21-22, 7th in 22-23, and 3rd in 23-24. He got fired for not winning the scudetto and for his meltdown in the Coppa Italia final. It was not because he “limped to the finish line” or did a shitty job.
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False narrative #2 – And his strikers don’t score.
Wrong. At Juve, in the 22-23 season, Vlahovic scored 14 goals in all competitions, and in the 23-24 season, Vlahovic scored 18 goals in all competitions. Allegri’s strikers do score…it’s his current group of players, including Pulisic, that are not scoring.
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False narrative #3 – We see the Rossoneri as this historic club with big pockets
Wrong. I have posted here numerous times that historically, Milan is a big brand, but currently, they are not a big club ( read: they do not have sporting success ) nor are they a team with money to buy top tier players.
Because Milan does not have money to buy top tier players, they are not able to bring in players to compete with Pulisic for playing time.
Currently, at no other big club in Europe…and by that, I mean, a club that has money to buy top tier players and that is competing for Champions League success…would Pulisic be able to go 4 months without scoring or assisting, and still be starting and / or getting a lot of playing time. He continues to play at Milan because they have no one else on the bench that offers more, nor do they have the money to bring anyone else of quality in.
If this was Milan, circa late 80’s / early 90’s, Milan wouldn’t even look at buying Pulisic.
Same goes for Milan of the early 2000’s.
To your point, in this day and age, Milan attempts to be “budget friendly,” which is why they bought Pulisic. When you go “budget friendly,” you get what you pay for, which includes a player that hasn’t scored or assisted for 4 months.
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Stop making excuses for Pulisic and hold him accountable.
I’ve seen some stuff where his romantic life may (or may not) be a distraction, but there are certainly headlines about it.
With a six point cushion and 4 games to play, they’ll make the Champions League. This year, that was always the goal. Maybe next year, when they’ve got the CL cash, they’ll upgrade the roster and make a run for the Scudetto.
No matter how pretty or ugly Milan plays, Allegri will be viewed as a success this year (barring a catastrophic collapse over the last 4 games).
They have a tougher schedule than Juve or Como and are way down in GD to those two teams. They have just 5 pts in their last 6 matches. It’s not a forgone conclusion.
The “goalless drought” belongs to Milan, not CP. This is supposed to be one of the top teams in the world, they have big money attackers and yet the coach forces them to play the most horrible defensive soccer I’ve ever seen. They literally play for goalless draws or 1-0 wins. It must be awful trying to play for this team. It’s certainly awful trying to watch them.
From what I’ve seen, CP actually has been quite sharp, one of their only bright spots in a very bad run of games. I’m not worried about him unless this unfair pressure gets to him, or he gets hurt. I think he’ll feel ‘set free’ when he comes in to play for the USMNT, and it just might motivate him to go off at the WC. And then he needs to get away from Allegri lol.
well tbh, Pulisic hasn’t scored for the USMNT for over a year, so I don’t know how “free” he’ll feel, especially considering he had several chances to score in those last set of friendlies and couldn’t get it done. The USMNT and Milan are starting to feel like the same in the sense that both seem to rely on Pulisic too much to get results
Ronnie,
So I guess it is Pulisic’s fault?
No problem, just don’t select him for the World Cup and we should win it.
(www.aliexpress.us/item/3256810209814037.html) its bad they got some stand in thats not Pulisic on this aliexpress jersey. Dude looks like my ratchet Puerto Rican cousin from Kissimmee, Florida. Harpoo who is that person 🤔 😂its on reddit too, have no idea why they do merchandise like this for our top players. Pulisic will find form I am not concerned.
ACM has been held scoreless in 8 matches this season. 4 of those have come in the last 6 matches. We don’t see all the comments here from Allegri, but he’s the one in charge so if Leao and Pulisic don’t play well without a CF then who’s fault is it to keep running them out as the two strikers? Allegri’s “soccer terrorism” (Tactical Manager TV, 2023) made Weston and Weah’s Juve teams unwatchable now he’s made Milan unwatchable. They’ll be lucky to hold onto a CL spot the way they are playing.
JR,
This rush to crucify Pulisic tells me that it must be a slow news day for SBI “fans”.
If anyone bothered to look they would realize that both Leao and CP are suffering from a Milan “offense” that lacks a striker. Fulkrug has sucked and so does anyone else who they have to play as a #9
CP AND LEAO both flirt with mediocrity
Since the start of 2026, Rafael Leão has maintained a slightly higher statistical output for AC Milan than Christian Pulisic, both players have been inconsistent and suffered goal droughts.
SINCE START OF 2026
• Leão: Leão has recorded 3 goals and 2 assists across all competitions since January 2026. While he started the year with goals against Cagliari and Genoa, he is currently enduring a multi-game goal drought as of late April.
• Pulisic: Pulisic has struggled significantly in 2026, recording only one assist and no goals for club or country through late April. His drop in production has led to reports of stalled contract negotiations.
SALARY COMPARISON
Rafael Leão earns more money than Christian Pulisic at AC Milan.
Rafael Leão
Annual Base Salary (Net)
~€5.0M – €7.0M
Christian Pulisic
Annual Base Salary (Net)
~€4.0M – €5.0M
Leao
Weekly Wage (Gross)
~$180,000
CP
Weekly Wage (Gross)
~$123,000
Contract Status
Leao
Valid until 2028
Contract Status
CP
Valid until 2027 (renewal pending)
WHO IS THE BETTER PLAYER?
A subjective decision, but current sentiment and statistics suggest a narrow edge for Leão in 2026:
• Explosiveness vs. Consistency: Leão is widely viewed as the team’s most “explosive” talent. Pulisic is praised for being more consistent, but his 2026 slump has diminished that argument.
• Role and Impact: Pulisic has emerged as a player “on par” with Leão, often carrying the offense when Leão was sidelined earlier in the 2025–26 season. Lately, the duo’s recent lack of “on-field synergy” has led to tactical questions and widespread criticsim.
• Market Value: Leão’s market value remains significantly higher, estimated between €70M and €110M, compared to the lower valuation for Pulisic entering the final stages of his contract
NICLAS FÜLLKRUG
Brought in on loan from West Ham to be the physical “number nine” Milan lacked, he has largely struggled to adapt to Serie A and Allegri’s tactical system.
• Füllkrug has managed only one goal in 17 appearances.After starting just three matches, he has been relegated to a consistent substitute role, playing the final 20–30 minutes. Füllkrug was supposed to provide the “focal point” that would free up creative players like Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leão.
Instead:
• His lack of mobility has often slowed down Milan’s transitions, making the offense even more predictable.
• He has a shooting accuracy of just 31% during his time at Milan.
• Allegri’s preference for a more dynamic frontline has left Füllkrug looking out of sync with the rest of the squad.
Füllkrug’s failure to settle has only amplified the pressure on the wingers, as there is effectively no consistent threat coming from the center of the pitch.
Alternatives to Fulkrug have been largely unavailable or ineffective in 2026:
• Santiago Giménez: Regarded as the “starter,” he missed nearly five months due to an ankle injury and subsequent surgery. He only recently returned to action but has zero goals in his limited appearances this season. The suspicion is that Mexio is trying to sabotage CP to fuck the USMNT. This guy was a powerhouse in the Eredivisie but has been a failure in Milan which is something to remember when you think about how Pepi has been great in the Eredivisie.
• Christopher Nkunku: His production has stalled completely. He hasn’t scored since early February 2026 and has struggled to impact matches after returning from his own thigh injury.
The “Winger” Solution
Allegri has recently used a 3-5-2 system; he plays two wingers as a makeshift strike partnership:
• Rafael Leão & Christian Pulisic: These two led the line in the recent 0-0 draw against Juventus. While they have the most goals for the club this season (Leão with 9, Pulisic with 8), playing them centrally has often left them isolated.
Youth and Loans
• Francesco Camarda: The highly-rated 18-year-old is technically on loan at Lecce to gain experience. Despite fans calling for his return, he remains unavailable for Milan’s senior squad until the summer.
• Maximilian Ibrahimović: The son of Zlatan is in the youth system and was part of the 2026 squad update, but he has yet to make a significant senior impact.
SUMMARY OF FORWARD PRODUCTION (2025-26)
Player Serie A Goals Status
Rafael Leão 9 Playing as makeshift striker
Christian Pulisic 8 Playing as makeshift striker
Christopher Nkunku 5 Goal drought since Feb 3
Niclas Füllkrug 1 Bench role / Expected to leave
Santiago Giménez 0 Just returned from 5-month injury
Rabiot does have 6 goals.
You can argue that Allegri is a genius for keeping Milan close with such a crap roster.
Or you can argue that Allegri is a soccer terrorist.
Hard to know.
Leao and CP are the “class” of this roster. Still they would probably be lower table in the EPL if not relegation battlers. Serie A teams ae just not that good anymore.
CP is frustrated because he had a nice setup before and now it has turned to shit. Neither he nor Leao are “elite saviour” types but neither player is in danger of being dropped from their respective World Cup squads. Assuming he survives, CP should be a lot happier when he gets back to the USMNT and gets away from this clusterfuck.
So based on the coaches comments here, what is so different about the end of 2025 when he was performing to the point people were calling him the best player in serie A?
Its not just a goalless drought its literally any contribution to attack drought. Zero goals, zero assists. He has never been an alpha type player that will put a team on his back, he needs other guys to help him get a goal or an assist.
I wont be surprised to see Milan sell him in the summer, but I dont see a team paying more than 30- 40 mil.
2tone:
“I dont see a team paying more than 30- 40 mil.”
Really? Sounds like Milan would get their money’s worth.
Base Transfer Fee: €20 million ($22 million).
Add-ons: Up to an additional €2 million based on performance.
Original Contract: A four-year deal through June 2027 with a base salary of roughly €4 million net per year.
Contract Extension (2025/2026): Pulisic reportedly agreed to an extension through 2029, increasing his salary to €5–5.7 million annually.
Did you watch the game? I did and thought he presented more of a threat than anyone else on their team. Twice he made good runs to the top of their box but was thwarted because he was met by 2 or even 3 defenders. Personally, I think Leao has done even worse. The prior game he had 3 decent chances and didn’t even bother the keeper, one time fumbling the ball away. In the game before Pulisic just missed a goal because it curved away from the goal at the last second, just going wide. Neither team scored, I don’t see the reason to call Pulisic out when no striker did much.
He has been subpar. Not only him but most of the team has been. At 27 years old Pulisic should be a bigger presence on any team. He isnt young anymore. And I dont think the US can rely solely on him come the WC. Statistics show Pulisic is streaky not consistent. If he can get streaky at the WC then our chances become greater in the knock.out rounds.
Add to the fact he has played first team club soccer and the USMNT for 10 years. Let thay sink in… he has played for the USMNT for 10 years.
2tone,
CP has 10 years in?
BFD.
That’s about how long LD had been playing for the USMNT when he had arguably his best WC in 2010. Landon also played in the 2006 WC but you would not have known given how anonymous he was.
CP is what he his but he also doesn’t have much to work with in the USMNT.
Our best creative player can’t get more than garbage time at Gladbach. Our best defender may not make 90 minutes before pulling something. Our best wing back has only recently recovered from serious knee injury that has caused him to lose his place at Fulham. And his right-side counterpart is only just coming back from knee surgery. Our goalkeepers? Never mind.
And their backups are, all of them, mostly very inexperienced.
So I am wondering why everyone is shitting on CP when it is pretty obvious that, besides him, Milan is a fucked up mess and that he is almost certainly the least of the USMNT ‘s worries.
Messi and Ronaldo raise their respective countries when they play but then Argentina and Portugal are pretty awesome w/o them.
CP also raises the USMNT a notch when he plays but he has to work a ton harder than Messi and CR7.
I don’t know what you expect but the quality level of the USMNT is mediocre. That doesn’t mean they can’t make some noise but any success they have will likely be a team thing not an individual brilliance thing.
Vac, I remember Landon being outstanding vs Italy in 2006 and the Italian players and coaches saying as much after the game. They tied the game on an own goal but I remember him being relentless.
Tele 57,
1.) I thought LD disappeared.
It was as if he was on quaaludes. The USMNT, while tough and scrappy, seemed out of sync and old to me. They probably should have used Clint more. JOB was a passenger. Also they were the least talented team in the Group ( they should have been used to that). Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana were just like the Group of Death that JK got out of in 2014. Except Arena did not get out of the Group
.
Italy and Ghana were a good teams.
The Czechs were the #2 ranked team in the world and featured:
Petr Čech: Chelsea.
Pavel Nedvěd: The 2003 Ballon d’Or winner and the team’s engine.
Tomáš Rosický: “Little Mozart” the playmaker.
Jan Koller: A 6’7″ powerhouse striker their all-time leading scorer.
They did not have a great World Cup but were good enough to beat the USMNT.
Landon played all three games and had 1 shot, 0 goals and 0 assists in spite of being the focal point of our attack. LD played behind McBride vs the Czech Republic, then was moved to central midfield vs Italy and then moved back to being behind McBride vs. Ghana.
2.) Landon agreed with me.
From ESPN:
“Years later, Donovan himself admitted that the 2006 tournament was a low point in his career.He described it as his “worst three soccer games” and admitted he was “going through the motions”. He acknowledged he “wilted under the pressure” and was not in the right mental state to lead the team at that time.”
People forget that a large part of the USMNT fan base at the team thought LD was a candy ass wussy for not moving to Europe. ” Landycakes” was real and it was NOT a term of endearment. JK did LD a huge favor because he made a martyr out of him by cutting him in 2014.
2006 was the reason LD re-dedicated himself. I think of 2010 as the Landon World Cup because it was all about him and it was his best.