Christian Pulisic has officially signed a new contract with Italian giants AC Milan through the summer of 2031, ensuring that he will still be in Serie A by the time the next World Cup kicks off.

The star U.S. forward has spent the previous three years at San Siro after leaving Chelsea in a deal worth around €21 million ($23.4 million at current exchange rates). The most prolific years of his European career have come in Milan’s red and black, although he endured a dip in form last term before embarking upon an intriguing new chapter under Ruben Amorim this season.

While Pulisic may have been in and out of the former Manchester United boss’s immediate plans, Milan have made it clear that the Pennsylvania product has a long future at the club.

A brief statement released on Friday announced that Pulisic had signed new terms until June 30, 2031. “Captain America’s Rossonero mission continues,” the club’s social media account wrote above a quote from the player himself: “Milan has given me everything. It feels like home and I’m in love with the club.”

That affection is mutual, but it remains to be seen whether the ramifications of Pulisic’s decision are quite as positive.

How Pulisic’s Milan Future Could Impact Mauricio Pochettino’s Stance

U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino has endured a spiky relationship with Pulisic. The seeds of doubt were sewn when the Milan forward requested to skip the 2025 Gold Cup after a draining European campaign in Italy. Pulisic, however, was willing to grace the USMNT with his presence for the two pre-tournament friendlies. Pochettino promptly left him off the roster entirely.

Even more than a year on from that indiscretion, that attitude still rankled with the Argentine manager. Without explicitly naming Pulisic, Pochettino fumed in September: “You say, ‘If I play, I have not holidays. I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup.’ ... You know now that is bull----.”

Pulisic would be welcomed back into the fold ahead of the World Cup—which may as well have only lasted 45 minutes for him—before landing on the naughty step once more. Pochettino left Pulisic off his roster for the last set of fall internationals without providing any substantial explanation.

It remains to be seen if the versatile forward will be back in contention for November’s fixtures but even if he is, Pochettino has already made it abundantly clear that there is a new culture with a new set of players ahead of the 2030 World Cup. By sticking with Milan, Pulisic has not given his international manager any new information to consider. He remains the same streaky goalscorer worn down by the same European schedule for the same fallen giant enduring the same season of highs and lows.

Pochettino’s willingness to put his faith in MLS talent shows that the status of a player’s club now longer carries the same weight it once did for USMNT managers. If Pulisic is to work his way back into the World Cup plans, he will have to prove it on the pitch rather than with his portfolio of elite European clubs.

MLS Will Have to Wait for Its White Whale

For all Pulisic’s World Cup heartbreak, there was a sense of union between the USMNT’s great hope and his distant public. The winger’s name was at least 10 times the size of the font above ‘USA’ on Fox Sports’ World Cup graphics while the level of support each player received from the crowds was similarly weighted in Pulisic’s favor.

Outside Levi’s Stadium before the round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, vendors could scarcely meet the demand for “authentic Pulisic tattoo sleeves.” That fans had these pieces of unofficial memorabilia immediately confiscated by stadium workers just 10 yards around the corner of the entrance didn’t seem to dilute their fervor.

If not quite commensurate, that affection was reciprocated by Pulisic. After reveling in the raucous reception of the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay on home soil, the most talented member of his nation’s generation gushed: “Being in America, having this crowd around us, seeing the red, white and blue, all our red and white striped shirts in the crowd, it’s awesome.”

In the immediate aftermath of the USMNT’s exit, reports claimed that Pulisic may not be leaving American soil just yet. New York City FC were linked with a sensational move for the 28-year-old, with the club’s chief executive Brad Sims stressing that every MLS club would be keen on such a deal.

“If you ask any of my 29 counterparts across the league if they would be interested in having Christian Pulisic on their team, I’m pretty sure you’d get 29 yeses,” Sims claimed.

However, the NYCFC CEO also made it clear that his franchise—if not every other in North America—would be unable to pry Pulisic away from the riches of Milan unless the Italian giants are willing sellers. As this contract has proven, they are not.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Christian Pulisic’s New Milan Contract Means for USMNT, World Cup, MLS.