Both USMNT stars played significant roles in the Rossoneri's rout over Azzurri Empolesi Saturday.
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Pulisic assisted on second goalMusah gets a rare startMilan remain in seventh for nowFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
U.S. men's national team stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both got starts for AC Milan at the San Siro against Empoli FC, with the former assisting in a dominant 3-0 win Saturday.
Therefused to let extremely foggy conditions affect them from asserting themselves early on. Pulisic and Rafael Leao alternated between the wing and No. 10 positions throughout the match while Musah got just his fourth start of the season – playing on the right wing after spending much of the season in a central midfielder role.
Alvaro Morata got the scoring for Milan going early, pouncing off a rebound from Leao's shot to give the side an early 1-0 lead. Pulisic would then play a role, finding Tijjani Reijnders on an admittedly fluky assist in the 44th minute. Reijnders would ice the contest in the 69th minute to put Milan on 22 points with 13 matches played.
The home side largely owned proceedings with a 56 percent advantage in possession and xG of 2.08 vs. Empoli's 0.9.
AdvertisementWATCH PULISIC'S ASSISTGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Pulisic will gladly take a goal contribution when he can, but his goalless streak in Serie A has now stretched to seven matches. While it’s not a major concern yet — he did score midweek for Milan in the Champions League — a prolonged drought could suggest his torrid start to the season was more of a hot streak than a new standard. Notably, he remains Milan’s top scorer, though others on the team are closing in.
Since the start of the 2023 season, he is the only Serie A player to record at least 20 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, per Opta.
On the other hand, Musah's start Saturday could signal a new level of trust from manager Paulo Fonseca. The 22-year-old lined up at right wing, as opposed to central midfield – where he typically plays for Milan. That's interesting because that's also where U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has employed him with success since his arrival in September. While Fonseca will likely want more attacking impetus as the midfielder didn't take a single shot from the wing, he did the little things well — making four tackles and had a connected cross in the contest.
DID YOU KNOW?
The last time Pulisic scored in Serie A was against Fiorentina on Oct. 6. It is interesting to note, his early-season strong stretch of scoring came on the wing, while of late when being placed in the middle, he hasn't had as much success in front of net.
