Christian Pulisic, speaking for the first time since opting to skip this summer’s Gold Cup, said Thursday that he doesn’t regret the decision, and called questions about his commitment to the U.S. men’s national team “way out of line.”
Pulisic, in an interview with CBS Sports Golazo’s “Call It What You Want,” also revealed that he “did want to be a part of” the USMNT’s two pre-Gold Cup friendlies, and asked coaches to be included for those games against Türkiye and Switzerland. “And they said no, they only wanted one roster” for both the friendlies and the Gold Cup, Pulisic said. “I fully respect that. I didn’t understand it, but it is what it is.”
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As for why he didn’t to play in the Gold Cup, a biennial regional tournament, Pulisic said that, “toward the end of the season” with his Italian club AC Milan, “my body just started talking to me, and my mind. And I started to think, ‘What is gonna be best for me leading into next year and going into the World Cup?’ And was that to play eight more games, and then get no rest at all, go straight into preseason, and grind another season, and go straight into the World Cup?
“I had the make the best decision for myself, and also in the long run for my team,” Pulisic continued, “even though clearly some people haven’t seen it that way.”
The decision sparked fierce criticism from both fans and former players. Landon Donovan, perhaps the most famous player in program history until Pulisic came along, rekindled the controversy on Sunday while watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal celebrate their UEFA Nations League title. “This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said on the Fox broadcast. “[Ronaldo’s] 40 years old. He’s played a long-ass season. He’s tired. He’s out there grinding, hurt himself in the process. And I can’t help but think about some of our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s pissing me off.”
Those comments triggered a response from Pulisic’s dad, Mark, who, in an Instagram post, cited Donovan’s late-career break from soccer and told the USMNT legend to “look in the mirror + grow a pair.” Christian Pulisic liked the post.
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In Thursday’s interview, Pulisic did not name Donovan, but seemed to implicitly address Donovan’s comments. “You can talk about my performances, whatever you want,” Pulisic said. “But to question my commitment, especially towards the national team, in my opinion, that’s way out of line.”
He later added: “I just don’t understand why also so many people are so big on just wanting to give out these takes when they’ve been through tough moments themselves. I don’t understand the idea of wanting to divide this fan base, and bring a negative light over it in any way. But we tend to do that a lot.”
Pulisic also admitted that, in general, the criticism from former players “is tough. You know, I looked up to those guys growing up. Some of these guys were my idols. I respect them so much as players.”
He said that, privately, some of the former players talk to him “and clearly want to show support, and be your friend and everything. And then they say something slightly different publicly.”
This story will be updated.
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