- Pulisic maintains he made right decision to have break
- Weah, Adams and Pulisic’s father Mark echo sentiments
- Pulisic says he’s more motivated as a result of backlash
Despite a summer in which he was entagled in controversy and the subject of harsh criticismfrom former وطني team players, USMNT star Christian Pulisic maintains he made the right decision to withdraw from the 2025 Gold Cup.
“It’s hard to keep up with playing every single game,” Pulisic said in the latest episodes of his PULISIC docuseries. “I mean, you see a ton of injuries, but that’s what is what it is. This is, you know, how the business works. People want to see us play. And I think it’s just a decision that I had to come to, to do the best thing for myself, and look out for myself for once.”
While the U.S. managed an inspired run to the Gold Cup final, Pulisic’s absence remained the focus for American soccer observers, including analysts such as Alexi Lalas, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard.
“I think everyone has, you know, had their رأي on me, and I mean, in my opinion, just disrespected me in a lot of ways, and just completely forgotten about what I’ve done for this national team for 10 years. It sucks,” he said. “If you went and you read the media, you probably think you’d think this was the end of the world. But like in my head, I’m going back, and I’m right back into it in my club, I’ve got other things I’m focusing on, and I want to win, I want to win in everything that I do.”
While former USMNT stars have been critical of Pulisic’s decision – including calling out Pulisic and teammate Tim Weah for their responses to the scrutiny – he’s been backed by some USMNT teammates.
“You look at Christian – Christian himself has had a better career than every single one of the guys who speak now negative on us,” Weah, a U.S. national team winger, said in the docuseries “For me, he’s going to go down as one of the best, if not the best, players to ever play the game. And I’m happy to be right beside him, watching his career kind of blossom and you know what everyone thought it would. Just, you know, pure greatness.”
U.S. captain Tyler Adams also appeared in the documentary and stressed that some of the recent criticism stems from the team’s on-field recent struggles. The USMNT underwhelmed in the 2024 Copa America and the 2025 Nations League finals, and then lost to المكسيك in the Gold Cup final under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
With the كأس العالم 10 months away, the spotlight is bigger on the USMNT than ever before.
“We’re actually OK with the criticism,” Adams said. “I’m not one to go back and forth about what’s right and wrong about what people say about players in the game. But I think in that scenario, when it comes to the national team, people, pundits, fans, they’re looking for very little to just represent the country in the right way and compete. There’s a competitive element that’s missing with this team.”
“They’re not judging the level of play and the quality that we have as individuals and players. It’s the competitive nature, the heart, the bare minimum that you have to do. You have to run, you have to compete, you have to tackle. So I think it’s fair criticism.”
Pulisic acknowledged that recent results for the U.S. haven’t been good enough, but said he’s frustrated with questions about his overall commitment – which was not helped by his decision to sit out the Gold Cup.
“It’s frustrating. We haven’t had as much success as we like. I think we’ve had some really incredible moments. But we’re out here fighting,” Pulisic said. “I think if people knew what it actually meant to me and what it meant to our team and all the players, they would never question us. Come after whatever you want, you know, come after my performance, whatever you want to say.
“But to talk about my commitment? The commitment that I’ve given to this game? That I’ve given to my national team, you know, for 10 years? I have paid the price. That’s the only thing that starts to get on my nerves. But to be honest, it just fuels me to get back on the field and just shut everyone up and show everyone what I’m about, at the end of the day.”
Pulisic’s 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. He added that “Chrsitian doesn’t give a sh*t what anyone says.”
“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.”
Pulisic officially starts his club season Sunday when ميلان host Bari in the opening round of the Coppa Italia.
