Christian Pulisic needed just two minutes and 47 seconds to score his Champions League goal.
The opening day of football’s premier club competition began with a fine goal that put AC Milan ahead of Liverpool.
The English visitors eventually came back, dominated the match and deservedly won 3-1. But Pulisic shined on a remarkable night for the Americans in Europe.
Once a teenage phenomenon, Pulisic spent his first 20 years in a near-toxic environment at Chelsea. He should have been at the top of his game, but instead was frantically kept afloat in a bloated team, fighting for playing time and constantly adapting to new managers.
When he played, he was usually pretty good, and at times, very good. But he was inconsistent. He was a young adult still trying to find himself, on the field and in this world. At times, the arc of his career seemed to have stalled. His development, it seemed, had stalled.
Last summer, however, he escaped the turmoil and malaise at Chelsea. He landed in Milan and almost instantly proved that he had been a victim of circumstance, rather than a developmental stagnation. He quickly won over the Italian fans (and his teammates and coaches) with decisive goals and dogged work. He strung together a full season of consistency.
He finished with 12 goals and eight assists in Serie A, both career highs; and 15 goals, 10 assists in total. He was named to the Italian league team Team of the seasonAt the same time, he also became the leader and most trusted player of the US men’s national team.
The only questions that remain related to his underlying numbers:Had Pulisic had a run of expected goals and expected assists in his breakout season? Had it been possible for his expected goals and expected assists rates, which were No Top professionals: signs of a regression coming?
In his second year at AC Milan, Pulisic has already begun to answer those questions. He has two goals (albeit one from the penalty spot and one from a touch) and two assists in four Serie A games.
And on his 2024-25 Champions League debut, he demonstrated the breadth of his abilities. He took the ball in transition. He carried it some 40 metres, driving into space. He sent it through a narrow window past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and into the net at the other end.
And he has added to the mounting evidence that he is, in fact, a star at the highest level of football. According to Opta, no player has contributed to more goals for a Serie A side than Pulisic, with 30 since his arrival last summer.
30 – Christian Pulisic’s third-minute goal on Tuesday was his 30th contribution in all competitions for Milan (18 goals, 12 assists).
No player has contributed to more goals for a Serie A team than Pulisic since joining Milan early last season. image.twitter.com/kiCHJzryFl
— OptaJack (@OptaJack) September 17, 2024
Other Champions League results, USMNT performances
Pulisic wasn’t the only American in action on Tuesday. Hours earlier, 130 kilometers west of Milan in Turin, Weston McKennie scored for Juventus.
It is the first time that two USMNT players have scored in the Champions League on the same day. according to statistician Paul Carr.
And that Juventus-PSV Eindhoven match, won by Juve 3-1, featured five American players (McKennie, Tim Weah, Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, Ricardo Pepi), the The most in a Champions League match in history.
In other competition, Aston Villa won their first modern Champions League match, 3-0 against BSC Young Boys in Bern, Switzerland.
Bayern Munich beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2.
Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Lille 2-0.
And Real Madrid, after struggling against Stuttgart, managed to win 3-1, meaning the favourites emerged victorious in all six games on Tuesday.
