US internationals Pulisic and McKennie score on opening night of revamped Champions League

The United States player pool has never been more prominent in Europe’s top soccer leagues and two of its key players scored on the opening night of the continent’s top competition on Tuesday.

Christian Pulisic netted AC Milan’s early opener in its Champions League match against Liverpool. That came shortly after Weston McKennie scored Juventus’ second during a 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven in an earlier match.

The match at San Siro was less than three minutes old when Pulisic played a one-two with Alvaro Morata and burst down the right flank before firing across into the far bottom corner.

It was a fitting way for Pulisic, who turns 26 on Wednesday, to mark his birthday.

Pulisic was the first American to play in a Champions League final when he won the competition with Chelsea in 2021.

He moved to Milan before the start of last season and had an impressive debut campaign at the Italian team, with 15 goals across all competitions.