There are few times when an American player finds a place in one of the elite soccer leagues in Europe, especially in their prime, and there are few, compared to the large number of players from many different countries who come to a club in MLS, which is becoming a Tower of Babel.
That’s why the case of Christian Pulisic is particularly relevant, because of its visibility, since he began to emerge in Europe without even having set foot in a professional club in his own country, first at Borussia Dortmund, then at Chelsea and finally at AC Milan. He has not managed to take off just as he would demand the high level of soccer that he handles and that today keeps him as immovable in the United States national soccer team, coached by Argentine Mauricio Pochettino.
Pulisic gets torched by USMNT teammates playing American football
It’s not the first time that the new ‘Captain America’ has spoken about how difficult his landing in such a competitive league has been, but also with as many prejudices as Serie A. According to what the player told the Paramount+ documentary series that bears his surname as its title, there is serious discrimination against American footballers in foreign leagues (not only in Italy): “I don’t want him to take my place here,” was one of the phrases that Pulisic shared about how he was received by his teammates, who did not like having him in the squad.
Alexi Lalas hits the nail on the head
For his part, Alexi Lalas on his State of the Union podcast gave the Rossoneri player a boost by stating that this bias is not limited to Europe and sometimes comes from Americans themselves: “It’s interesting to hear guys like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie talk about this, and very honestly and openly in this documentary about the bias they see. They complain about it, but they also recognize that it goes with the territory.”
Lalas remarked on a point that for him is basic to understand Pulisic and the reality he lives in Europe: “Although he left at an early age, he is still American and that comes with a kind of baggage. Not only is there a prejudice against American players that they face when they go to Europe, but, as I said before, there is also the prejudice against American players here, sometimes by our own Americans, whether they have been involved in football or not”.
