Christian Pulisic has graced the cover of Time magazine, starred in Fox Sports promos, and featured in ads for deodorant, sports drinks, and soccer cleats. He is undeniably the most recognizable figure in U.S. men’s national team soccer and, with the World Cup being hosted on home soil, the sport’s leading ambassador in the country.
Yet, in recent months, he has been absent from the scoresheet. And on Sunday, during the most prolonged dry spell of his illustrious career, Pulisic was absent from even his No. 11 AC Milan kit.
Scheduled to start in a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta, the 27-year-old forward was sidelined due to a gluteal muscle strain. It remains uncertain whether he will recover in time for the final two Serie A matches before the World Cup training camp begins on May 27 in the Atlanta area.
This injury is the latest blow in a campaign that started strong late last summer but has soured dramatically in 2026. Now, the pressing question is whether Pulisic can regain his health and sharpness before the most critical weeks of his career.
USMNT star Christian Pulisic faces a critical race against time to rediscover his form ahead of the World Cup in June.
(DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Pulisic was among Serie A’s elite performers in the first half of the season, netting four goals and providing two assists in his first five matches. After recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during U.S. duty in October, he added four more goals in four appearances.
However, since the start of 2026, Pulisic has gone 17 club matches—including 11 starts—without scoring. His frustration was evident in late March during U.S. friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, where he failed to find the net and had minimal impact.
“I know I’m going to get to the other side, and things are going to click,” he said after those defeats in Atlanta. But in the five Milan matches since, he has not scored.
Pulisic’s value extends beyond goal-scoring. He is primarily a creator, and his form should not be judged solely by his scoring drought. Yet, amid this slump, his overall play has dipped, and he has lacked his usual confidence and swagger.
His partnership with top scorer Rafael Leão has reportedly fractured, and AC Milan has managed just two wins, five losses, and one draw in their last eight games, slipping to fourth place and trailing archrivals Inter Milan by 18 points.
The San Siro began emptying early in the second half on Sunday as Milan fell three goals behind. With a 2026-27 Champions League berth at stake as a top-four finish, Pulisic and his teammates will wrap up the season against Genoa and Cagliari on the next two Sundays.
U.S. World Cup preparations include friendlies against Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte and Germany on June 6 in Chicago. The Group D opener against Paraguay is scheduled for June 12 in metro Los Angeles.
Despite the downturn for Pulisic, there are reasons for optimism:
The U.S. boasts three strikers enjoying productive campaigns—Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, Coventry City’s Haji Wright, and PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi—to help ease the burden on their star teammate.
Looking back at the buildup to the 2022 World Cup, Pulisic managed just one goal in 18 matches across all competitions for Chelsea. Yet in Qatar, he assisted Tim Weah’s opening goal against Wales, scored the winner against Iran to secure knockout stage qualification, and set up Haji Wright’s goal in the Round of 16 against the Netherlands.
Here’s how other U.S. roster contenders performed over the weekend:
**Netherlands**
Making his first start since injuring a hamstring on March 7, Sergiño Dest lined up at left back (rather than his usual right side) and set up Pepi’s goal late in the first half as PSV Eindhoven defeated Go Ahead Eagles 4-1.