Christian Pulisic conjures up memories of Juventus legend for USMNT coach with ‘extraordinary’ goal

The AC Milan forward netted a stunning individual effort for his country during the latest international break, with the deadlock broken in what ultimately proved to be a 3-1 defeat against German opposition. Vio, who works as a set-piece specialist in Gregg Berhalter’s backroom team, was among those left impressed by Pulisic’s spectacular strike.

Said effort has drawn comparisons with a Juventus legend from years gone by, with Vio telling Corriere dello Sport of Pulisic and his Milan colleague Yunus Musah – who has also been starring for the USMNT: “Pulisic scored an extraordinary goal against Germany, it reminded me of Del Piero. He scored against Ghana too. They are players with excellent quality, so I am not surprised they play for Juventus or Milan. Pulisic joined Milan from Chelsea, he was already on a high level. Milan have signed a great athlete even if he’s still young. It didn’t go well at Chelsea, but it was a general situation involving more players. Musah has great personality and is smart. You can tell he is a leader. He has settled in well and is a nice person.”

Vio claims to see similarities between Musah’s game and that of international team-mate Weston McKennie, who is another of those currently plying his club trade in Italy with Juventus. The 70-year-old coach added: “Weston has personality and physical strength. It’s clear that he is already an established player. He is important for USMNT and I imagine for Juventus too. [Tim] Weah is so quick and his technique is impressive as well. Hopefully, he will do well for Juventus so the national team can reap the rewards too.”

After responding to their defeat against Germany with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Ghana, the United States’ collection of international superstars have now returned to their respective clubs ahead of domestic action resuming this weekend.