Pulisic's Frustration at AC Milan: Amorim's Tough Love

Ruben Amorim didn’t try to calm things down. He did the opposite.

Christian Pulisic is angry about sitting on the bench at AC Milan — and his head coach is delighted about it.

Speaking before Milan’s trip to Rome, Amorim laid out the situation with unusual clarity. The American has not played a single minute in the opening three Serie A games of the 2026-27 season, his return delayed by a micro-fracture and bone bruise in his right leg suffered at the World Cup. He only rejoined full training last month. The wait, Amorim insisted, is almost over.

“I think you guys are going to see Pulisic,” he told reporters on Friday. “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 frustration has been building while Milan have moved on without him. On the left flank, 19-year-old Italian youth international Alphadjo Cisse has kicked the door open.

• Two goals.
• Fearless dribbling.
• Direct, aggressive running at defenders.

In a matter of weeks, Cisse has gone from academy prospect to early symbol of the Amorim era, quickly winning over the San Siro crowd and turning what was once Pulisic’s territory into a battleground.

The question, inevitably, is how Amorim balances the rising star and the established one. His answer was as hard-edged as his touchline persona.

“I won’t remove anyone who’s doing well just to name a player,” he said. “This is my way of managing the group, and I’ll die with these principles.”

There was no hint of sentiment in that line. Pulisic’s CV is strong: a four-year deal signed in the summer of 2023, 134 appearances for Milan across all competitions, 42 goals, 27 assists, and a Supercoppa Italiana title in 2024-25. He arrived as a marquee piece. He has largely delivered.

He also returns from a World Cup in which he remained central to the United States. The forward played four matches, missing only the group-stage game against Australia through injury, and registered one assist before the USMNT went out in the round of 16 to Belgium.

None of that guarantees anything now.

Amorim inherits a squad where reputations count, but performances count more. Cisse is in form and fearless. Pulisic is proven and impatient. The coach has made it clear: the shirt belongs to whoever earns it each week.

So Pulisic’s comeback won’t be a gentle reintroduction. It will be a contest. His anger at “zero minutes” is exactly what Amorim wants to see — but it will need to translate into something far more tangible once he finally steps back onto the pitch.

Because at Milan this season, even “Captain America” has to fight to get his cape back.