- Lalas dismisses characterization of criticism as "evil"
- Questions Pulisic involving his father in public disagreement
- Meola also hit out at Mark Pulisic for jumping into fray
Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas questioned Christian Pulisic’s decision to involve his father, Mark, in the back-and-forth between current and ex-وطني team players, suggesting the forward should handle criticism on his own.
Despite a summer in which he was entangled in controversy and the subject of harsh criticism, Pulisic maintains he made the right decision to withdraw from the 2025 Gold Cup. In the latest episodes the PULISIC docuseries, his father, Mark, echoed his son’s comments and challenged previous USMNT stars to reflect on their own accomplishments before calling out the current team for its struggles.
“These guys want clicks and social media,” Mark Pulisic said in the documentary. “Don’t get me wrong, I respect all of them. I mean, they were players that I looked up to. But quite frankly, the guys before us didn’t win anything either. I think they should look in the mirror and look at their last performances for the national team before they start talking sh*t.
“It’s jealousy. You know, people want to be in issues, and they’ll find any reason to bring him down. But Christian doesn’t give a sh*t what anyone says.”
That sparked a response from Lalas.
“Don’t bring your dad to a fight,” Lalas wrote in a column for FOX Sports. “I get that Mark Pulisic, like other dads out there, has been involved directly in bringing up, in this case, Christian. I get that he’s a former coach. But who brings their dad to a fight? If you’re angry at me or Landon or anybody else who is being critical of you, that’s fine.
“You have a platform, you have a microphone – some would say bigger than anybody else out there – to get that off your chest, but you don’t need to bring your dad. Never once has it even occurred to have my father defend me from the slings and arrows that are inevitable, but well done. You got me to watch, and you got exactly what you wanted.”
Lalas also pushed back on accusations from Pulisic and Tim Weah that ex-U.S. stars criticize players unfairly for attention. He argued that their complaints only fueled the very attention they claimed to resent, while rejecting the suggestion that his تحليل crossed into something more sinister.
“First and foremost, if you’re going to accuse people of doing things for clicks and for attention or to watch a show, well played,” Lalas wrote. “That’s exactly what you just did, and it’s exactly what happened… We are evil? That’s a whole other level. I don’t feel evil. I don’t think that I am, and I don’t think that any of the other guys that you may have been referring to are evil in our criticism. But if they were, I sure as hell wouldn’t respect them.”
Another U.S. legend, Tony Meola, shares a personal history with Mark Pulisic as they played together. Meola advised him to stay out of the media disputes.
“I’ve been friends with Mark Pulisic for a long time. We played together at the youth level. You gotta stay out, Mark,” Meola said on the Call it What You Want podcast. “I know you’re a dad, I know you get emotional, your kid is at the top of the heap, right? I’ve got other friends in other major sports in America that their kids right now are in top of the heap.They listen to this all the time about their kids.
“You can’t respond. Stay out. Christian is a big boy. He will be able to do this on his own. He will be able to carry this team.”
Meola and Lalas’ comments highlight the increasingly tense relationship between current USMNT stars and the previous generation of players who now work in media.
The USMNT will face immediate tests during the next FIFA international window with مباريات ودية ضد كوريا الجنوبية في 6 سبتمبر و اليابان on Sept. 9.
