Pulisic's near-perfect start to Serie A hits a snag with penalty miss in AC Milan's draw at Juventus

ROME (AP) — Christian Pulisic had been making all the right moves for AC Milan this season.

Until Sunday.

A missed penalty kick by the American standout proved costly as Milan was held to a 0-0 draw at Juventus in Serie A to end a five-match winning streak for the revamped Rossoneri.

Pulisic leads Milan with six goals scored this season — plus two assists — but his attempt from the spot early in the second half soared high over the bar.

It was only the second time in Pulisic’s professional career that he failed to convert a penalty, after Torino goalkeeper Sergej Milinkovic-Savic blocked his effort last season. His record is now 13 converted and two missed for club and country.

Pulisic continued to press forward after his miss, and provided an accurate pass for Rafael Leão toward the far post late in the second half. But the winger’s shot also went wide.

“Pulisic missed the penalty but he had an extraordinary game,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said.

Pulisic will now join the U.S. national team for friendlies against Ecuador and Australia as he prepares for a home World Cup next year.

Milan dropped from first to third place, two points behind defending champion Napoli and Roma — which each won earlier.

Napoli came back from a goal down to beat Genoa 2-1 and Roma also rallied for a 2-1 victory at winless Fiorentina.

Juventus was left a point further back in fifth entering the international break.

Pulisic’s United States teammate Weston McKennie wasted a few chances early on for Juventus.

Otherwise there were few other opportunities for both sides as Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri returned to face the club he coached in two different spells and led to five Italian league titles.

Allegri was fired by Juventus for an ugly outburst directed at the referees during the 2024 Italian Cup final.

“We’ll always be proud of you, thanks for everything Max Allegri,” read a banner held aloft by Juventus fans.

The penalty was awarded when Santiago Gimenez was tugged down from behind by Lloyd Kelly as he attempted to meet a vertical pass from Luka Modric.

Milan nearly won it in the 90th with a through ball from Modric to Leão but the Portugal winger's shot was stopped by Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio.

Earlier, Leão attempted a shot from near midfield when he saw Di Gregorio venture away from his goal but that effort missed the target.

Gian Piero Gasperini is picking up right where Claudio Ranieri left off at Roma.

The Giallorossi were virtually unbeatable during the second half of last season under Ranieri and now have five wins in their opening six matches under Gasperini.

After Moise Kean struck first for Fiorentina, Roma came back with goals from Matias Soule and Bryan Cristante by the half-hour mark.

Ranieri hand-picked Gasperini to succeed him in his new special advisor role after retiring from coaching after last season.

Known for his high-scoring teams, Gasperini made the move to the capital after nine seasons at Atalanta during which he transformed the Bergamo squad into a domestic and European contender. Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024.

Somewhat surprisingly, Roma has been better in defense than attack under Gasperini, conceding a league-low two goals in six matches — with only seven scored.

“We’re not getting much credit for being where we are but this squad has been able to obtain results while improving in terms of both quality and enjoyment level,” Gasperini said. “Let’s enjoy the moment but let’s not discuss grand goals.”

Kean opened the scoring with a long-range effort that Roma’s standout goalkeeper Mile Svilar could have done better on.

Then Soule equalized with one touch from the edge of the area and Cristante — who also played under Gasperini at Atalanta — powered in a header from a corner.

Coming off its first Serie A loss of the season after getting beat at Milan last weekend, Napoli had a tough start when Genoa’s 18-year-old striker Jeff Ekhator scored with a splendid backheel goal from close range.

But Frank Anguissa equalized with a header after the break and Rasmus Hojlund won it by sending in a rebound of a shot from Anguissa in the 75th for his third goal in two matches following a brace in the Champions League.

It was a strong second-half performance by Napoli, with Kevin De Bruyne inspiring the Partenopei’s play. Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo hit the post before Hojlund’s goal.

Bologna routed 10-man Pisa 4-0 with goals from Nicolò Cambiaghi, Nikola Moro, Riccardo Orsolini and Jens Odgaard.

Louis Buffon, the 17-year-old son of former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, came on in the second half for Pisa to make his Serie A debut. His dad was also 17 when he made his Italian league debut for Parma in 1995.

Udinese and Cagliari drew 1-1.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

AC Milan's Christian Pulisic, left, and Juventus' Daniele Rugani in action during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday Oct. 5, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

AC Milan's Christian Pulisic, center left, fights for the ball with Juventus' Weston McKennie during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Milan at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Rasmus Hojlund during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Genoa at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5 , 2025. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Genoa at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5 , 2025. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Bologna's Nikola Moro celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Bologna and Pisa at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Matias Soule, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Roma at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Artem Dovbyk goes for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Roma at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Matias Soule celebrates after scoring their side's first goal during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Roma at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Roma's Bryan Cristante, back to camera, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Roma at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The smashed-up locker at Oakmont last year is as much a part of Wyndham Clark’s resume as the U.S. Open title he won two years before that.

Such is life in a world teeming with cell phone cameras and viral video. Such is life in professional golf, a sport built on managing failure and harnessing emotions — and where success one week, or one year, doesn’t always carry over to the next.

Clark’s spot at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard after his second round at Shinnecock on Friday brought up expected reminders of his emotion-filled journey through a sport — a life, really — that Clark himself acknowledged nobody truly ever masters.

“I was on top of the world in my game, at least when I won the U.S. Open, and then had some good years,” the 32-year-old said. “Then, next thing you know, I’m apologizing for breaking a locker."

Much as tennis great John McEnroe will always have “You cannot be serious!” alongside the seven grand slam singles titles he won in another of sports' biggest pressure cookers, Clark will always have the broken locker at Oakmont. He will always have the underhanded fling of the driver that smashed an advertising board and snapped off the clubhead at the PGA Championship, a few months before the locker debacle.

Because of that, he’ll probably also always have his share of detractors and critics — people watching for his next burst of brilliance on the golf course, but also waiting for the next big blowup.

“I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment,” Clark said. “Hopefully, I can win those people back.”

His breakthrough three years ago at LA Country Club was tinged with tears and stories of the personal growth Clark had to make to reach that point.

Much of it had to do with the emotional residue left from his mom’s death in 2013 — a family tragedy that he conceded had left him spiraling.

“I didn’t show any emotion off the course," Clark explained after his victory that day. “But when I was on the golf course, I couldn’t have been angrier.”

The easy way for the armchair psychologists (and sports pundits) to explain things after that win was to conclude that Clark’s victory proved he had harnessed the emotion, turned the page and beaten back all the demons.

It’s never that simple.

“For any of us, this is a process,” Clark’s sports psychologist, Julie Elion, wrote in her new book ’Mastering Your Mental Game.” “Golfers don’t reach the top and then stay there forever.”

Clark followed the U.S. Open win with 18 months of good golf, including a win at Pebble Beach. Last year was something different — he only had two top-10 finishes, did not make the FedEx Cup playoffs and was nowhere to be seen at the Ryder Cup.

“Mastering our mental game in golf or reaching a state of growth or self-improvement in life isn’t always a permanent condition,” Elion wrote. “It takes more work over more years, and there are frequently hills and valleys.”

At Shinnecock, where Clark will head into the weekend at 7-under par, four shots ahead of Xander Schauffele and three others, he finds himself back on the rise again. He recently took to social media to tell the world he had a new girlfriend, Emily Tanner, who held hands with him as they exited the 18th green after Friday’s round of 1-under 69.

Four weeks ago, Clark won the Byron Nelson for his first victory in 28 months.

“I kind of looked at it objectively and took a bird’s-eye view on it and said, ‘OK, I’m not hitting it good off the tee, I’m not putting as good as I was,’” he explained about his turnaround. “And I said, ‘All right, I’ve got to attack that.’”

He hired a swing coach, Pat Coyner at Cherry Hills, near where Clark grew up outside of Denver.

He's been hitting his driver straighter of late. His iron game has improved dramatically (up 110 spots in the analytic-driven stat: strokes gained on approach shots). He found a new putter, which has helped him dial in dramatically over the past four weeks, during which he also finished third at the Memorial and played in the final group last Sunday at the Canadian Open.

Never more did it look in sync than Friday on No. 18, where he sank a 35-footer to finish the day in red numbers.

Now, a chance for another breakthrough. With a win, he would celebrate again. But he knows as well as anyone that it wouldn't mean the work — both on and off the course — is behind him.

“I just think with the mental game there’s ebbs and flows,” Clark said. “If you think of it as climbing Everest, sometimes you go up, sometimes you have to go down to go back up. I think that’s kind of what happens both on the golf course and off the golf course. Right now I’m trending back up, which is nice.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a putt on the 14th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Wyndham Clark hits from the bunker on the 16th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Wyndham Clark celebrates after a birdie on the 12th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)