In the moments following the USMNT’s disastrous 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many notable American soccer pundits laid the blame at the feet of Christian Pulisic.
That includes Fox analyst Carli Lloyd, who called him out not just for his lack of leadership in the Round of 16 match but throughout the tournament.
“I gotta be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic,” she said. “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.”
On Thursday, news broke that Pulisic, who had subbed out of the critical match in the 59th minute, had suffered a bone bruise and microfracture in his right leg. The American star player appears to have sustained the injury around the 52nd minute and tried to play through it for several minutes before reportedly asking to be taken out of the match.
The severity of the injury, which will keep him out of action for several months, led some to presume that Pulisic’s critics would offer mea culpas over the harshness of their criticism.
Perhaps some will, but not Lloyd, who says her criticism was more about how Pulisic approached the World Cup, not about what happened in that final match.
I don’t owe anyone an apology. My comment wasn’t about his post game interview. He skipped Gold Cup last summer because he wanted to rest and be ready for WC. He ended up resting the whole year. That’s the facts. Nothing personal against him. https://t.co/iW3iiKPUIQ
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) July 9, 2026
“I don’t owe anyone an apology,” she said on X in response to someone calling for her to apologize. “My comment wasn’t about his post-game interview. He skipped Gold Cup last summer because he wanted to rest and be ready for WC. He ended up resting the whole year. That’s the facts. Nothing personal against him.”
While many media members came out of the woodwork to bash Pulisic or use the loss as an opportunity to settle scores, it appears that some perspective is returning as the conversation shifts towards the future and what comes next for American soccer.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.