Christian Pulisic acknowledged that the U.S. Men's National Team's performance in the World Cup was "simply wasn’t good enough" after the team was eliminated. In a post on Instagram, Pulisic, who also faced criticism for his individual play and an ankle injury sustained during a match, shared his reflections on the tournament.
"Tough to find the words. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed," Pulisic wrote. "The support carried us all the way through. It simply wasn’t good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more." He added, "I still feel blessed to be a part of this team. The memories this summer will last a lifetime. It’s just the start for us and for this sport in America."
The U.S. was eliminated from the World Cup following a 4-1 loss to Belgium. During that match, Pulisic turned over possession 11 times in 45 minutes before leaving the game due to an ankle injury.
Following the team's exit, Pulisic faced scrutiny from former players. Landon Donovan suggested on the "Unfiltered Soccer" podcast that Pulisic's tournament was "disappointing" and did not meet the expectations for a star player. Former U.S. Women's National Team player Carli Lloyd stated after the loss to Belgium that she "didn’t see enough from him in this particular game, and really the whole World Cup." Lloyd further commented on social media in response to Pulisic's remarks about needing rest, writing, "You rest when your playing career is over. Period." Sydney Leroux, another former USWNT player, posted, "He rested the entire World Cup."
Pulisic concluded the tournament with one goal and three assists across eight matches.