Pulisic Faces Competition from Cisse at Milan
Ruben Amorim can already feel the tension on Milan’s left flank – and he loves it.
Christian Pulisic, frozen out of the opening weeks of the 2026-27 Serie A season, has made his frustration clear. Not to the media, not in a public outburst, but to his coach. For Amorim, that edge is exactly what he wants in a dressing room that suddenly looks ruthless.
The American has not played a single minute in Milan’s first three league fixtures. A micro-fracture and bone bruise in his right leg, suffered at the World Cup, kept him out until last month and slowed his return to full fitness. While he recovered, Milan moved on without him.
Now, on the eve of a trip to Rome, the door is finally about to reopen.
“I think you guys are going to see Pulisic,” Amorim told reporters on Friday at his pre-match press conference. “I don’t know if he is going to start or he’s going to get on the pitch from the bench. I think he’s going to play at least a few minutes now and I like Pulisic. I really like him as a player. He’s upset because he’s had zero minutes so far, and I like that in my players.”
That irritation has met a new reality. While Pulisic healed, a 19-year-old stepped into the spotlight.
Alphadjo Cisse, an Italian youth international, has ripped up the script on the left wing. Two goals already, both eye-catching. Direct running, fearless dribbling, a teenager playing as if he’s been at San Siro for a decade. The crowd has responded quickly; Cisse is the early cult hero of the Amorim era.
The success of the youngster has turned Pulisic’s return into a selection dilemma – and Amorim did not bother to hide how he intends to handle it.
“I won’t remove anyone who’s doing well just to name a player,” he said, his stance unmistakable. “This is my way of managing the group, and I’ll die with these principles.”
No promises. No guarantees. Not even for “Captain America.”
Pulisic did not arrive in Milan as a prospect but as a pillar. Signed in the summer of 2023 on a four-year deal, he has been one of the faces of this project. Across all competitions, the USMNT winger has already racked up 134 appearances for the Rossoneri, producing 42 goals and 27 assists. He helped Milan lift the Supercoppa Italiana in the 2024-25 season and, at his best, has been the side’s creative spark.
His summer was intense. At the World Cup, he featured in four matches for the United States, missing only the group-stage clash with Australia due to injury. He registered one assist before the USMNT fell in the round of 16 against Belgium. The damage to his right leg in that tournament set back his club season and opened a window of opportunity for others.
Cisse took it. Now Pulisic has to wrest it back.
The dynamic is clear: a proven international star desperate to reclaim his place, a fearless teenager who has earned the right to keep his. Amorim stands between them, refusing to bend his rules for reputation or résumé.
Milan’s trip to Rome may only offer Pulisic “a few minutes,” as his coach suggested. But those minutes could mark the start of a new internal battle on the wing – one that might define how far this Milan side can really go.
