‘We Would Think’—MLS Club Confirms Christian Pulisic Interest After World Cup
New York City FC CEO Brad Sims has confirmed his wish to add AC Milan and USMNT winger Christian Pulisic to the roster at some point in the future.
“Ultimately, we’re believers that Christian is going to want to play in MLS, wants to be back home,” Sims said at an event in New York City on Thursday. “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.”
While Pulisic’s deal runs through 2026–27 with AC Milan, it would end in June, one month before the announced Etihad Park opening date on July 17, as part of the new MLS calendar, which will run from July 2027 and into playoffs in the early parts of 2028, aligning with the calendar used by Europe’s major leagues.
With the calendar shift aligning MLS’s transfer windows with Europe, it is expected that MLS teams will be able to go after more significant talents at younger ages, flexing the financial might of North American sports.
At this point, Sims called the Pulisic idea “dead in the water” if AC Milan doesn’t want to sell the left winger. Yet, the upcoming end of his contract could mark an inflection point for leaving Europe, should he have another disappointing season in Italy.
“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 added. “It’s an easy question to answer in 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.”
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New York City FC Seeking a Star for New Stadium
Set to open the new stadium, New York City FC are expected to be on the hunt for a big-name player to lead the team’s next era while also being a marketing draw alongside the new ground. Although the team hasn’t been solidly linked to any superstars recently, an American star like Pulisic or an aging European veteran—potentially with ties to fellow CFG-owned Manchester City—could be an option.
NYCFC’s early days in MLS featured World Cup winners David Villa and Andrea Pirlo, as well as English legend Frank Lampard. Still, the team’s 2021 MLS Cup-winning roster was led by a young Taty Castellanos, now with EFL Championship side West Ham, and an aging Maxi Moralez, still with the team but recovering from a ruptured ACL at 39 years old.
Sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, NYCFC’s current focus on the pitch is pushing towards the MLS Cup playoffs, while Sims and the front office execute their long-term vision, which could include Pulisic at some point.
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