When you think of a soccer superstar in Milan, you probably picture designer suits, luxury cars, and front-row seats at Fashion Week. But Christian Pulisic, the U.S. men's national team captain known as "Captain America," prefers a different kind of uniform—a blue Ritz crackers sweatshirt.
On a late February evening, while stars like Alicia Keys, Kendall Jenner, and David Beckham were dazzling Milan's Fashion Week, Pulisic arrived at a golf-club lounge near the airport. His ride? A scooter. His outfit? Comfortable, not couture. It's a deliberate choice for the 27-year-old AC Milan forward, who lives beside the golf course for one simple reason: it's just a 20-minute commute to training.
"This is how I stay the most focused," Pulisic says, shrugging off the glamour that comes with playing for one of the world's most iconic clubs. While friends and family encourage him to enjoy the spoils of his status, Pulisic keeps his lifestyle monk-like. It's that same intensity he brought to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar—the moment that defined his career.
Late in the first half of a must-win game against Iran, Pulisic saw his chance. Midfielder Weston McKennie played a ball to Sergiño Dest, who was streaking up the right side. "My eyes lit up," Pulisic recalls. He charged toward the box, took Dest's header off his right foot, and collided with the Iranian goalkeeper as the ball hit the net. The goal gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead they'd never relinquish. Pulisic suffered a pelvic contusion and watched the second half from a hospital bed, but he'd made his mark. "That's what stamps your legacy," he says.
Now, with the 2026 World Cup on home soil, Pulisic has a chance to build on that legacy. Already the most influential American men's soccer player in the country's 250-year history, the 5-foot-10 forward from Hershey, Pennsylvania, isn't shying away from the pressure. "I plan on scoring goals," he says simply. For a player who's lived by a scooter and a sweatshirt, the focus remains on the pitch—and that's exactly where Team USA needs him.