Christian Pulisic is no longer a focal point for the US or Milan – and that’s OK
On Sunday, the music that played before Pulisic kicked off was O Generosa, not the Star-Spangled Banner. That small detail carries the whole story: the October international window got folded into September, so the American winger stayed in Milan while younger national teammates took the spotlight. We're used to treating a player's relevance as a zero-sum game. If you're not the focal point, the story goes, you're fading.
Pulisic is 28, which in soccer is that strange middle age where your body still does what you ask but the narrative around you starts shifting. The teammates rising into those high-pressure spots were once kids watching him. Natural succession, the same way a star system hands off its brightest light. I'd want to know how he feels about it, whether the relief of carrying less weight outweighs any sting of being moved aside.
What interests me is how we measure a career. We fixate on the moments a player is the center of attention, but the quiet seasons might matter more. Being a focal point is exhausting, and stepping back can be a kind of freedom. If Pulisic plays well precisely because the pressure has lifted, that's its own kind of wonder.