Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 – United States v Bosnia and Herzegovina – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California, U.S. – July 1, 2026 Christian Pulisic of the U.S. applauds fans after being substituted REUTERS/Phil Noble
NEW YORK — NYCFC CEO Brad Sims is hopeful that if United States national team superstar Christian Pulisic one day decides to return home and play for Major League Soccer, that the Big Apple would be among his top choices.
“Ultimately, we’re believers that Christian is going to want to play in MLS, wants to be back home,” Sims said. “At whatever point in time that is, we would think and hope that New York City FC would be very high on his list of teams that he would want to play for.”
Pulisic’s current contract with Italian giants AC Milan runs through June of 2027, but reports have swirled in recent weeks suggesting that NYCFC mounted a bid of up to $10 million per season to bring the Hershey, PA native stateside and playing at Etihad Park — NYCFC’s new home, which will host its first game on July 17, 2027, as Sims revealed on Thursday at an MLS media event.
AC Milan, however, seems unwilling to let the star forward go.
“To be able to get that done, if AC Milan doesn’t want to give him up, then it’s dead in the water,” Sims said.
Pulisic, 27, is currently on the mend after suffering a microfracture in his right leg during the United States’ Round-of-16 loss to Belgium on July 6. Long perceived as the golden boy of American soccer, he had a disappointing World Cup, going goalless.
Still, he is considered the very best the country has to offer, thanks to a resume built while playing in the top leagues across Europe. After starring for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, he moved to Chelsea in England, where he helped the club win a Champions League title in 2021. He has been with AC Milan since the 2023-24 season, recording 31 goals in 100 appearances.
“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 said. “It’s an easy question to answer from that regard. Would we love to have him? Yes. Would any team in MLS love to have him? I’m pretty sure the answer to that would be yes. Would MLS, from a league standpoint, love to have Christian Pulisic here? I think that answer would be yes.”
For more on NYCFC and Christian Pulisic, visit AMNY.com
