Lloyd Critiques Pulisic After World Cup Exit

Former U.S. women’s national team player Carli Lloyd isn’t holding back her criticisms of Christian Pulisic, especially following the U.S. men’s national team’s abrupt exit from the World Cup.

Minutes after the team was eliminated, Lloyd didn’t hesitate to express her disappointment in Pulisic’s performance. “Honestly, I’m a bit let down by Christian Pulisic,” she noted after the team’s loss in the round of 16. “No matter if he wants to shine as a star, I don’t think he delivered enough in this match—or throughout the World Cup, really. We only saw brief flashes from him.”

Feeling the weight of the team’s loss, she remarked, “I’m pretty down about being here now, but it seemed like the big players, Pulisic included, appeared to have lost before even taking the field.” Reflecting on the players’ mindset, she added, “From the start, there was this hesitancy, a lack of confidence… I was just chasing the game.”

Lloyd expressed the hope that significant players would show up in critical situations but felt disappointed that didn’t happen.

In her post-match comments, Lloyd shared that she could take time to rest her injured ankle now that the tournament had concluded. But, she continued with more criticism aimed at Pulisic.

“Once my active duty is done, I’ll take a break. It’s definitely time,” she mentioned.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday indicating that Pulisic had suffered bone contusions and microfractures in his foot. Some fans speculated that this revelation might prompt an apology from Lloyd, but she didn’t agree. “I don’t owe anyone an apology,” she stated.

Lloyd clarified, “My comments weren’t about his post-match interview. He opted out of the Gold Cup last summer to prepare for the World Cup and virtually took the whole year off. That’s just how it is. It’s not personal.”

Pulisic had displayed some potential in the first half of the group stage match against Paraguay but later suffered a calf injury, which sidelined him for the next game and a half. He came back in the second half against Türkiye but didn’t score. Like many of his teammates, he had a lackluster performance against Belgium, and things took a turn for the worse when he was sent off in the second half after it was revealed he had a broken foot.