Pulisic benched again? Ex-USMNT star breaks it down

Is Christian Pulisic playing today?

No, he is not starting.

AC Milan face Ferencvaros at San Siro on Thursday, November 5, in a UEFA Europa League Matchday 4 clash.

Christian Pulisic is available for selection.

He has been named among Milan’s substitutes.

Luka Modric is also on the bench.

Pulisic scored in Milan’s last match — a 3-1 derby victory over Inter.

He opened the scoring in that game.

Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira added the other goals.

That performance did not earn him a starting spot against Ferencvaros.

Manager Ruben Amorim has opted for a different approach to his starting lineup.

Amorim will likely choose Goncalo Ramos to lead the attack.

Omari Hutchinson and Alphadjo Cisse are also in the mix.

Milan’s expected lineup: Torriani; De Winter, Gila, Pavlovic; Moreira, Rabiot, Jashari, Bartesaghi; Hutchinson, Cisse; Goncalo Ramos.

Ferencvaros’ expected lineup: Radnoti; Oliver Nagy, O’Dowda, Madarasz, Gomez; Zohore, Adam Nagy; Arzani, Yusuf, Zachariassen; Birmancevic.

Milan are without several key players.

Mike Maignan is suspended.

Lorenzo Torriani replaces him in goal.

Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Samuel Chukwueze and Alexis Saelemaekers are all injured.

Pulisic and Modric give Milan experienced options off the bench.

Amorim can bring them on if Milan need more attacking quality.

This is not the first time Pulisic has been benched this season.

A relatively slow start to the 2026-27 campaign has seen him take bench duty at times under Amorim.

Pulisic has, however, registered two goals through his last three appearances.

One of those was the derby goal against Inter.

That goal came in a big moment for Milan.

The Rossoneri won 3-1 in the Derby della Madonnina.

But Milan have struggled in the Europa League.

Defeats against Benfica and Bournemouth, with a 4-0 win over Salzburg in between, leave Milan with three points from three matches.

That places Milan 24th in the league-phase standings.

24th is the final play-off position.

With five fixtures remaining, Amorim needs more consistent performances.

Ferencvaros arrive with a perfect European record.

They have won all three of their Europa League matches.

Victories over Celtic, Viktoria Plzen and Torreense give them nine points.

That puts them in contention for direct qualification to the last 16.

Ferencvaros have also gone 20 consecutive matches without defeat across all competitions.

Kristoffer Zachariassen and Dele Yusuf have been important in attack.

Veljko Birmancevic provides another threat in the final third.

Thursday’s match is the first competitive meeting between Milan and Ferencvaros.

Milan have faced Hungarian opposition before, but never Ferencvaros.

This benching comes at a complicated moment for Pulisic.

He recently committed to a new contract with Milan.

That decision ended months of speculation about his future.

Throughout the 2025-26 campaign, serious questions were asked about Pulisic’s next move.

He had an extension offer on the table but did not sign it.

He was keeping his options open.

The 2026 World Cup was the biggest shop window.

That tournament was held in North America.

The USMNT, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, showed glimpses of their ability.

But they crashed out against Belgium in the last-16.

Pulisic was the poster boy for U.S. soccer on home soil.

He had been billed as ‘Captain America’ for some time.

Lofty expectations were always going to be difficult to deliver on.

Supposed flaws were picked in the games of many USMNT players after the World Cup exit.

Pulisic found himself under the brightest of spotlights.

Transfer talk in Italy quickly faded.

A relatively slow start to the 2026-27 season followed.

Bench duty at times under Amorim added to the questions.

But Pulisic has responded.

Two goals in his last three appearances, including the derby winner, have steadied things.

Fresh terms have been committed to.

Exit talk has closed.

Pulisic joined Milan in 2023, leaving Premier League giants Chelsea.

He has posted personal bests in Milan.

17 goals were recorded across his second year with the Rossoneri.

Milan’s passionate fan base have taken Pulisic to their hearts.

He believes that faith should be reciprocated.

Continuity was favored over another change of scenery.