Christian Pulisic has his say as USMNT past, present debate his summer decision

New York Times

20 hours ago

After weeks of discourse about Christian Pulisic's decision not to play for the U.S. men's national team in the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup, the Milan winger finally addressed his absence. On Thursday morning, Pulisic appeared on CBS's Call It What You Want podcast, a show hosted by ex-USMNT players Tony Meola, Jimmy Conrad and Charlie Davies.
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'It sucks for me to miss out with the team,' Pulisic said. 'I want to be a part of the team always. But to be honest, towards the second half and the end of the season, my body just started talking to me, and my mind. I started to think, you know, what's going to be best for me leading into next year and going into the World Cup. Is that to play eight more games, get no rest at all, go straight into preseason and then grind another year, and go straight into the World Cup? That's not what I felt was best for my body.'
Throughout a lengthy interview, Pulisic repeatedly backed his decision as being best for his body and mind. He drew a direct link to his fitness and his ability to perform at his best, and that this rest would ultimately benefit him during a World Cup on home soil.
He also revealed that he asked to be part of the team during its recent friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, which the USMNT lost 2-1 and 4-0, respectively, but was told that Mauricio Pochettino and his staff only wanted one roster for the summer.
'The only point I would make with that is that I did want to be part of at least the two friendlies,' Pulisic said. 'I did speak with the coaches, and I asked and I wanted to be part of the team in whatever capacity I could. They said no; they said they only wanted one roster, and that's a coach's decision. I fully respect that. I didn't understand it, but it is what it is. I wanted to be a part of that, but that's just the way things went. I had to make the best decision for myself, and also, in the long run, my team — although, clearly, some people haven't seen it that way.'
"I did want to be a part of at least the two friendlies, but they said no… I had to make the best decision for myself and, in the long run, for my team."
Christian Pulisic opens up on his decision to sit out the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/kLVM8ynJtY
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) June 12, 2025
Stated as a wry disclaimer, it was the first of a few references to the backlash which followed his decision to skip the Gold Cup. A chorus of detractors have since questioned his loyalty to the USMNT, perhaps most vocally from program legends Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, who now co-host a podcast together.
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In an episode released on May 28, Donovan compared Pulisic's decision to when he took a lengthy sabbatical in 2013. Infamously, Donovan's 'break' was among the top reasons why Jurgen Klinsmann ultimately omitted the program's joint-record goalscorer from his 2014 World Cup squad. However, Donovan said he felt Pulisic's decision lacked the same 'this is why' component that he himself had presented over a decade ago. Donovan also alluded to Pulisic's decision when appearing on FOX's UEFA Nations League final studio show and lauding 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for continuing to turn out for his national side.
When asked directly about Donovan, Howard and outside noise from former U.S. players, Pulisic continued to back his decision.
'To question my commitment, especially towards the national team, in my opinion that's way out of line.'
Christian Pulisic responds to the criticism he has received from former players including #USMNT legend Landon Donovan 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/UcxB0JOGhv
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) June 12, 2025
'I've always said you guys would probably be surprised with how little (discourse) actually gets to me,' Pulisic said. 'I try to stay away from it as much as I can. When it comes to those guys, I don't know… It is tough, because I looked up to those guys growing up. Some of those guys were my idols, and I respect them so much as players. It's tough, especially when — some of them, as well, privately, the way they talk to me and clearly want to show support and be your friend and everything. And then it goes, and they say something slightly different publicly. That's fine. It doesn't hurt me.
'Am I surprised by it? I don't know, not really. People are always going to have their opinions, but in the end, I'm focused on how can I better myself? What am I going to do for bettering myself and, ultimately, the best thing for the team. That's what I do. Of all things: you can talk about my performances, whatever you want, but to question my commitment, especially towards the national team? In my opinion, that's way out of line. But you know how it is: people forget really quickly. Once I'm back with the national team — I hope — once I'm back with the national team and can play again, score a goal and win a game, people will forget all about this quickly.'
This story will be updated.