Skip to main content

Christian Pulisic set to return this weekend from back injury in boost to Milan and the US

MILAN (AP) — United States forward Christian Pulisic is likely to recover from a lower back injury in time for AC Milan’s penultimate Serie A match this weekend.

Pulisic missed AC Milan’s game against Atalanta on Sunday in another setback for the American player, who is enduring the longest goalscoring drought of his career.

However, he trained with the rest of the Milan squad on Wednesday and should be available for selection by Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri for Sunday’s match at Genoa. Milan’s final game of the season is at home to Cagliari the following week.

Pulisic hasn’t scored in his last 17 league matches since Dec. 28. He has also gone scoreless in eight games for the U.S.

Milan lost 3-2 at home to Atalanta on Sunday to leave it at risk of not qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The Rossoneri are fourth, the final Champions League qualifying berth, level on points with fifth-place Roma and just two above Como.

The U.S. has friendlies against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6, then starts its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California. The Americans play Australia a week later in Seattle and conclude the group stage on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium against Turkey.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Read Next Story