Football in the US has seen a massive boost in interest in recent years, especially since Inter Miami's signings of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. It has seen growth across attendances, viewing figures, and sponsorship deals, with global interest helping to create a popular new betting market.
Fans are able to explore the best MLS betting sites to back teams, and this is proving especially popular when European leagues take a Summer break. Another reason that US football is enjoying so much attention is that some of the country's top stars now play in the best leagues.
Serie A is home to some top US talent, including Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Christian Pulisic. Pulisic, in particular, has been a huge success following spells in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and in England with Chelsea. When signing for the London club, he became the most expensive US player in a deal worth around £58 million.
While his move couldn't be described as a flop, having scored 26 goals and getting 21 assists in 145 games, he was deemed surplus to requirements and joined AC Milan in the Summer of 2023 for around €22 million. Since moving to Serie A, Pulisic has scored 30 goals and assisted 22 times in 93 appearances, and is the club's second top Serie A goalscorer this season on 9, and joint top in assists with Rafael Leão on 8, having played 2 games fewer.
While Milan is out of the running for the Scudetto this season because of injuries and instability, the club has still been able to influence who wins the league with their remaining fixtures, and a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against rivals Inter could determine whether the club lifts silverware this year. The semi-final is delicately poised at 1-1 after Inter came back from a Tammy Abraham goal to equalise through Hakan Calhanoglu.
Milan's 0-1 home defeat to Atalanta via a 62nd-minute Ederson goal keeps the Bergamo side's narrow hopes of championship glory alive following Inter's defeat to fourth-placed Bologna. These results leave Inter and Napoli equal on points at 71 with five games to go, though Inter's goal difference is far superior to Napoli's.
With Milan out of the running for the title, it hands them the advantage over Inter, who have to consider whether to play a full-strength side and risk injury or fitness worries as they head into an exciting end to the season. The winner of the tie looks set to face a Bologna side who won the first leg of their semi-final against Empoli 0-3, with a home tie remaining.
Milan fans would have to go back to the 2002/03 season for the last time they won the tournament, and they will be looking to their American star to continue his top form. Milan have already tasted success against Inter with a 2-3 victory in January in the Supercoppa Italiana final, with Pulisic on target to equalise before Abraham netted a 93rd-minute winner.
