United States men’s national team forward Christian Pulisic missed AC Milan’s Serie A match against Atalanta on Sunday due to a lower back injury, delivering another setback for the face of American soccer.
Pulisic experienced discomfort during Friday’s training session, and by Sunday, it was deemed too severe for him to even be on the bench. Italian media reports indicate that Pulisic will undergo medical tests on Monday.
The 27-year-old is considered doubtful for Milan’s penultimate match at Genoa next weekend, but could return for the season finale at home against Cagliari the following week.
Pulisic has not scored in a career-high 17 league matches since December 28, and has also been held scoreless in his last eight appearances for the U.S. national team.
Milan suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta on Sunday, trailing 3-0 until the 88th minute, leaving their Champions League qualification hopes at risk. The Rossoneri sit in fourth place, the final qualifying spot for Europe’s top competition, level on points with fifth-place Roma and just two points above Como.
Pulisic is not believed to be a doubt for the World Cup.
The U.S. has friendlies scheduled against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6, followed by their World Cup Group D opener against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California. The Americans face Australia a week later in Seattle and conclude the group stage on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium against Turkey.
