This coming weekend it’s Serie A’s turn to return to the fields and stadiums of Italy to get the 2026-27 season underway, and once again there will be plenty of American interest.
There are currently five Italian-based Yanks ready to battle it out, from Milan and Turin to Parma and Venice. There should also be plenty of opportunities for Yank-vs-Yank clashes throughout the season.
Let’s look at who will be battling it out and how many Americans we can expect to see in the Italian topflight this season.
Christian Pulisic – AC Milan
Pulisic remains the biggest American name in Italy and, quite honestly, one of the biggest Americans playing anywhere in Europe.
Last season was a bit of a step back statistically for the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund man. After putting up 12 goals and eight assists in his first Serie A season and then following that with 11 goals and nine assists, he finished the 2025-26 campaign with eight goals and four assists in 30 league appearances. Yes, Captain America seems to be going downhill although those are still pretty decent numbers. He did miss a lot of field time, starting just 18 league games, so we shouldn’t have expected the same numbers.
Now Milan has a new coach in Ruben Amorim and a very different looking team. The Rossoneri finished fifth last season, missing out on the Champions League, Pulisic’s and the team’s goal should be to get back up there and compete against Europe’s big boys.
Pulisic should be one of the most important attacking players on the team. If he can stay healthy and get back to the form we saw during his first two seasons in Italy. Hitting the back of the net 15 ltimes this season should not be an impossible task.
His first priority however should be to stay healthy, play 30-plus league games and help his team pick up more points.
And let’s be honest, if Pulisic has a big season, Milan will probably have a big season.
Yunus Musah – AC Milan
Musah’s situation is a little more complicated. After spending last season on loan at Atalanta, where he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, he is back with Milan for the new campaign. Atalanta had an option to make the move permanent but didn’t think it was worth it..
Musah’s loan move to Atalanta last season didn’t exactly work out as planned. The New York-born midfielder made 20 Serie A appearances but started just four games and played only 664 minutes. He scored once and didn’t register an assist in league play. In the Champions League he made seven appearances, again mostly coming off the bench.
At 23, Musah still has plenty of time to turn things around, but this will be a very important season for him. He has the ability to play multiple positions in the midfield and has shown flashes of the player everyone thought Milan were getting when they signed him from Valencia. The problem is that flashes are not enough at this level.
Amorim has a new project in Milan and Musah needs to convince the new boss that he belongs in it. If he can do that, he could become a very useful player. If he can’t, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move on before too long, probably to the less competitive, comfortable MLS where he’d most likely be guaranteed minutes.
Weston McKennie – Juventus
McKennie just keeps hanging around Turin. And honestly, why wouldn’t he? After another summer where there was speculation about his future, the Texan is still wearing the famous black and white shirt and is coming off arguably his best Serie A season.
McKennie played 36 league games last season, starting 32, and finished with five goals and five assists, which isn’t bad for a player who has spent much of his Juventus career being moved around the field depending on what the coach needs.
Last season he became particularly important after Luciano Spalletti took over, and his ability to play multiple positions once again made him a valuable part of the squad. The problem is that Juventus finished sixth last season, which is not where a club of this stature expects to be.
Spalletti remains in charge and Juve have made moves to strengthen the squad, including bringing back Randal Kolo Muani. The goal has to be getting back into the Champions League and challenging for the Scudetto. McKennie should be a big part of that.
His goal for the season should be to remain a regular starter and perhaps get into double figures for goals and assists combined again. And at this point, I think it’s safe to say that Weston McKennie has become a fixture in Serie A.
Gianluca Busio – Venezia
After a season spent down in Serie B, Busio and the Venetians are back in the topflight of Italian soccer.
The North Carolina-born midfielder has been with Venezia since 2021 and has now signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2028. He has already made more than 160 appearances for the club and was one of the key players in their promotion campaign.
This is an important season for Busio, who is now 24 years old and with a return to the top, he has to prove that he is more than a pretty useful lower league player. But the team will be a tough season for them, as it usually is for any newly promoted team. They’ll hope to stay up but will be fighting against teams with a bigger budget than theirs, who also have more depth in their squad.
The American will have to take on more leadership responsibility and his contributions at both ends of the field will be important for the team’s survival. A strong performance and keeping the team afloat will hopefully see other Serie A teams take notice.
Benjamin Cremaschi – Parma
Cremaschi is probably the most interesting American on this list from a long-term perspective. The 21-year-old made the jump from Inter Miami to Parma last season on loan and, despite having his season interrupted by a knee injury, did enough for Parma to make the move permanent. He has now signed a contract that runs through 2031.
Cremaschi showed plenty of promise during his first season in Italy, but the injury came at a bad time and limited his involvement. Hopefully with a full season ahead of him, an injury-free season, he can show the fans what he is capable of doing for Parma Calcio. So staying healthy and gaining minutes are paramount.
Parma finished 13th last season, so they are not expected to be challenging for European places anytime soon. The goal will be to stay comfortably away from the relegation fight and continue building.
Overall Predictions
Let’s face it, it’s for Inter to lose, which most likely is not going to happen. They won the league by 11 points last season and remain the team to beat, although there are several teams that should make things interesting.
Juventus should improve from last season’s sixth-place finish. Spalletti has had another summer to build his team and McKennie should be an important part of that. Juve need to get back into the Champions League and I think they will do just that. Third place is a realistic target.
Milan is where things get interesting. They finished fifth last season and now have a new coach and a very different looking team. Pulisic will once again be a major part of their hopes, while Musah will be fighting for playing time and perhaps his future at the club. If Pulisic stays healthy, I think the Rossoneri can get back into the Champions League. Fifth place.
Parma had a pretty comfortable season last year, finishing 13th, and there is no reason to believe they can’t do something similar this time around. Cremaschi will be looking for more playing time and should become a bigger part of the team as the season progresses. 12th place should be where they finish.
Venezia are going to have a much tougher time as they try to stay among the big boys come the end of the season. Busio will be an important part of the midfield, but staying up is going to be the priority. If they can finish 16th, I think that would be a very successful campaign.
So, there you have it, five Yanks in Serie A with different stories. Some fighting for the title and another fighting to prove that he belongs.
