Gregg Berhalter stood pitchside Sunday at one of soccer's great cathedrals, savoring what he called a 'historic evening.' He had never been to Milan's San Siro. A showdown between AC Milan and Juventus finally convinced him to make the nine-hour, transatlantic trek.
MILAN, ITALY - OCTOBER 22: Yunus Musah of AC Milan in action against Adrien Rabiot of Juventus FC and Timothy Weah of Juventus FC during the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan vs Juventus at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on October 22, 2023. Gregg Berhalter stood pitchside Sunday at one of soccer's great cathedrals, savoring what he called a"historic evening." He had never been to Milan's San Siro.
He stood mere feet away from the famous field at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, some 45 minutes after all four Americans — Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah for Milan, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie for Juve — were named in starting lineups. That four of the best ended up at Milan and Juve is partially a coincidence. McKennie has been in Turin since 2020. Weah joined him this summer, as Musah and Pulisic both signed for Milan . For Pulisic, the move was, in a way, a step down from English Premier League. The EPL has become the preferred destination for most high-profile players, as Serie A and other European competitors have declined.
It was unexplainably cool to see Musah throwing a shoulder into Weah, and Weah tackling Musah, and Weah setting up McKennie for one of the game's better chances.And all of it was significant, because none of it was fluky. These were not one-off starts for fringe players. These were four established Americans, aged 20-25, dueling in a realm that once felt distant and foreign but no longer does.