Former U.S. Women's National Team star Carli Lloyd has publicly criticized forward Christian Pulisic for his comments regarding rest during the World Cup.
Pulisic exited the United States' loss to Belgium in the 59th minute due to an ankle injury and stated he would have "time to rest." Lloyd responded on X, formerly Twitter, stating, "You rest when your playing career is over. Period."
This is not the first time Lloyd has voiced criticism of Pulisic during the tournament. Following the USMNT's 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16, Lloyd expressed disappointment with Pulisic's performance. "I think whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there," Lloyd said on FOX.
She added that she felt the team, including key players like Pulisic, seemed unprepared. "I felt like they (USMNT’s big-time players like Pulisic) lost the game before they even stepped onto the pitch... just chasing, tentative, scared, just not confident on the ball," Lloyd observed. "And I think big-time players — you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments."
Lloyd, who captained the U.S. Women's National Team to a World Cup victory in 2015, shared her perspective from a position of similar experience. Pulisic's World Cup campaign was also hampered by a calf injury that caused him to miss three earlier matches. He concluded the tournament with no goals and one assist, and was largely ineffective before his injury against Belgium.
Sydney Leroux, another former player, also commented on X, suggesting Pulisic "rested the entire World Cup."