70 minutes—the time Christian Pulisic spent on the pitch during the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal return leg on November 19 to help his side secure a 4-2 win. Coincidentally and on the contrary, this is also the exact time Pulisic came off the bench as a substitute during AC Milan’s clash against Juventus on November 23, leaving Alexi Lalas infuriated. But why?

In the USMNT icon’s defense, he isn’t alone—many other supporters must have questioned the absence of Mr. Captain America from the crucial Serie A match within the kick-off. Instead, Pulisic made his way onto the pitch with just 20 minutes remaining on the clock, also not getting enough time to help his side secure a win at home. Both sides were rather forced to settle for a point each.

It’s not like Pulisic had returned from international duty with fatigue, but even if he had, Lalas considers it a smart decision. “Pulisic may have looked into the locker room after getting off the same flight as the others and said, ‘Hey, I don’t feel good or there’s something wrong here.’ Part of maturing as a player is getting to understand your body. If that’s the case, fine,” admitted the former defender on the State of the Union podcast.

However, if even 1% didn’t mean that he was injured, then it spells trouble for AC Milan over not using Pulisic for a crucial game. “If it was a ‘BS load management’ type of situation, it irritates me a little because this is your best player, arguably, and this is an AC Milan team that needs points,” explained Lalas, slamming Paulo Fonseca’s decision to make the winger start from the bench.

Last time, Lalas was furious when, during Mauricio Pochettino’s first window, after playing an hour against Panama to help in a 2-0 victory, he left the camp early in order to reunite with Milan for a not-so-important league game vs. Udinese. That saw him not being able to save his nation from a 0-2 beating against Mexico. But now, when there was a crucial match and Pulisic was apparently fine, Fonseca kept him on the bench.

Of course, we will never get to know whether Pulisic had fatigue or Fonseca just thought of mixing things up. Even though a point against Juve at home is something the Rossoneri may take, it still doesn’t justify why Christian’s domestic boss decided to give him fewer minutes. Already, the Red and Black are struggling in the league, currently occupying 7th place with just 22 points. Not to mention how Pulisic has been in remarkable form this season.

Christian Pulisic might have to remain stuck in a ‘load management’ loop

Following the draw vs. Juve, Pulisic played 75 minutes in the UEFA Champions League clash vs. Slovan Bratislava, where he netted a first-half goal to contribute to his side’s 3-2 win. In the most recent Serie A match against Empoli, the 26-year-old played the full match, where he may not have found the back of the net but did get his name on the assist list. That makes his overall stat tally increase to 8 goals and 6 assists in 18 games. Of course, a player of his caliber shouldn’t miss such crucial games.

However, to warn many people like Alexi Lalas, Pulisic may make short appearances for upcoming games. That’s because the impending clashes see AC Milan first face Sassuolo for the Coppa Italia round of 16, followed by a crucial Serie A game vs. Atalanta and a UCL match vs. Crvena zvezda, which means he shall be present in all of the games. So, Paulo Fonseca may use him as a starter and quickly take him off to avoid potential fatigue and injury chances.