​Landon Donovan and Tim Howard did not hold back in their critique of U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic after he left the field due to injury in the second half of the World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Belgium, a 4-1 loss that left the Americans eliminated from the tournament. For Pulisic, the World Cup campaign was a frustrating one overall: he failed to score and battled multiple injuries. A calf issue kept him out of the group-stage win against Australia, and he departed Belgium’s clash in the 59th minute on Monday, July 6, following a collision with Youri Tielemans. Pulisic attempted to continue after the contact, but eventually had to come off after Belgium’s third goal.
Afterwards, Pulisic said he “twisted my ankle and my knee in one play.” Donovan and Howard stressed that they did not know the full extent of the injury, but Donovan hinted that the star might have been capable of pushing through the pain. On the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, Donovan said, “There’s reporting that [Pulisic] asked to get subbed out of the game. I can’t confirm that so I don’t know if that’s true.” He added, “But the reality is he came out of a World Cup knockout game at home with his leg still intact. I’m saying this to you, Tim, and you know because you played with me, you would have had to drag me off the field, and I would have punched the doctor in the face and said, ‘You’re not taking me off the field, put whatever you need to put in me, and I’m staying on the field.’” Donovan admitted he could not believe Pulisic didn’t remain in the game. “Now again, if we wake up tomorrow and he broke his leg … whatever, totally fine.”
Howard recalled instances from his long tenure with the U.S. squad when teammates “bullied” injured players into staying on the field. He described occasions where teammates surrounded the injured player and insisted, “You’re not going off, are you? What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Howard explained that physios would arrive, and the players would physically block the medical staff, telling them to give the player a moment and to hold off on a substitution. “We almost like bullied [players] because sometimes you need that. The collective players [saying]: ‘What do you mean you’re going off? You’re not going off, we need you.’”
Beyond their critique of Pulisic’s decision to leave the Belgium game, Donovan and Howard also weighed in on the 27-year-old’s status as a big-game performer. Donovan highlighted Pulisic’s crucial goal against Iran in the 2022 World Cup, which secured advancement to the knockout stage, but noted that he hasn’t seen many similarly pivotal performances since. “It’s more than just a trend now,” Donovan stated. “When the games are easy and it’s a home qualifier for better SEO.” He paused, then continued, underscoring the broader concern about whether Pulisic has consistently delivered when the stakes are highest.
The exchange between Donovan and Howard reflects a broader conversation about how the U.S. team handles injuries and leadership during critical moments in major tournaments. As comparisons to past teams and players surface, the dialogue also underscores expectations on Pulisic to rise to the occasion in pressure-filled matches. In the wake of the Belgium defeat and a tournament that did not meet some fans’ hopes for a title run, scrutiny of Pulisic’s form and his willingness to push through pain is likely to continue, along with questions about how the national team manages injuries and preserves leadership on the field in future competitions.