Criticism Continues for Christian Pulisic

It seems that Christian Pulisic isn’t going to dodge the criticism from Carli Lloyd anytime soon. After Pulisic had to leave the game against Belgium in the 59th minute due to an ankle injury, Lloyd took to social media to express her disapproval of his remarks about needing rest.

“When your playing career is over, take a break. Period,” Lloyd remarked.

Her critique followed Pulisic’s performance in the USMNT’s 4-1 loss on Monday, where he struggled to make an impact. Lloyd, after the game, voiced her disappointment about Pulisic, saying, “To be honest, I’m a little disappointed in Christian Pulisic. Regardless of whether he wants to be a star on this team or not, I don’t think we saw enough from him in this game—or really throughout the entire World Cup. Only little glimpses here and there.”

She added, reflecting on the team’s dynamics, “I’m feeling a bit down about this loss, but it seemed like the big players, including Pulisic, lost the game even before stepping onto the field. I don’t know why; from the start, I felt like they were hesitant, scared… lacking confidence with the ball.”

Lloyd expressed hopes that key players would rise to the occasion in critical moments, a feeling echoed by many fans. It’s worth noting Lloyd’s perspective, given her own history as the captain of the U.S. women’s national team, which won the 2015 World Cup.

Pulisic’s World Cup experience has been tough; he missed the first three games with a calf injury and ended the tournament without scoring a goal, managing just one assist. The injury on Monday cut short what had already been a dismal outing.

He’s not alone in facing scrutiny—former athlete Sidney Leroux also criticized Pulisic on social media, suggesting he was “resting throughout the World Cup.” The discourse around his performance definitely seems heated.