USMNT star Christian Pulisic dropped to bench for AC Milan's Champions League clash with Newcastle

• Milan kick off Champions League campaign
• Host Newcastle at San Siro
• Pulisic starts on bench

WHAT HAPPENED: The USMNT forward is only on the bench for the visit of the Premier League side in Europe's top competition. Manager Stefano Pioli has opted for an attack consisting of Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud and Samuel Chukwueze against Newcastle.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The decisions comes after a difficult Milan result, as Pulisic and Co. were crushed by rivals Inter over the weekend. Pulisic struggled in that 5-1 loss, and will now will find himself on the bench for the first time this season after starting Milan's first four competitive matches of the season.

In his first four appearances, Pulisic has done well, scoring in Milan's first two games of the season: wins over Torino and Bologna.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN? After this initial Champions League match, Milan will host Verona on Saturday as they look to keep pace with Inter and Juve atop the league early in the season. Their next Champions League match will come October 4, when they visit Dortmund.