​Christian Pulisic is facing intense criticism after the USMNT’s World Cup exit earlier this week. The AC Milan forward had been seen as Mauricio Pochettino’s key man heading into the tournament, but the reality fell far short of the hype. Pulisic failed to find the net in any of his four appearances for the United States, leaving fans and pundits disappointed. In contrast, Folarin Balogun emerged as a dependable scorer for the USA, finishing the tournament with three goals to his name. Former USMNT star Landon Donovan acknowledged what he saw on the field, admitting that Pulisic’s performance did not meet expectations and simply wasn’t good enough.
USMNT supporters were underwhelmed by Pulisic, with the mounting expectations not matched by his on-field production. It’s possible those expectations weighed heavily on him. Donovan offered blunt candor on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast: “In reality, I think he only played about half the minutes in the tournament. We have to go back to last summer—this is a day of receipts. He took time off from the Gold Cup so that he would be ready for this season, fit, healthy, and firing on all cylinders.” The truth, Donovan added, is that Pulisic has only scored one goal since December, and he has not performed well for the national team or for Milan.
It should be noted that Pulisic carried an injury for most of the tournament, yet there remains a sense that he could have offered more. Donovan cautioned against piling on indiscriminately, acknowledging that some of the criticism is deserved and part of the role, but expressing disappointment that Pulisic did not deliver a moment of brilliance, something special, something spectacular, during the World Cup campaign.
The concern now is whether Pulisic has missed his best chance to leave a lasting impact on World Cup history for the United States. At 27, he will be 31 by the next World Cup, raising questions about whether he will be at or near his peak when the next tournament arrives. In soccer terms, Pulisic will be at his absolute peak or past his prime by then—only time will tell.