Pulisic Controversy Has Turned Into A USMNT Off-The-Field Soap Opera

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 09: Christian Pulisic of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 09, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

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From now until the end of the 2026 World Cup, there will be an intriguing generational competition concerning the U.S. Men’s National Team.

No, not inside the team, but heroes of the past and the current squad.

It has turned into an interesting off-the-field, he-said, he-said soap opera.

The most recent bruhaha came after U.S. standout Christian Pulisic decided to sit out the team’s involvement in the Concacaf Gold Cup, saying that he needed a rest after a grueling Serie A season for A.C. Milan.

He got slammed by critics, including former USMNT stars that have a voice on TV, streaming, podcasts and blogs. His critics have included Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas and Tony Meola, among others, who have shared their thoughts, opinions and analysis.

Donovan makes his point

“This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said on the FOX broadcast of the UEFA Nations League final in June.

He then citied Portugal superstar Ronaldo, who is 40 years old.

“He’s played a long season. He’s tired,” Donovan added. “He’s out there grinding, hurt himself in the process. And I can’t help but think about some of our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s p—ing me off.”

It should be noted that Donovan took time off from the national team in 2013.

Pulisic makes his point

In the latest episode of the docuseries PULISIC, the talented forward claimed that his critics “disrespected me in a lot of ways, and just completely forgotten about what I’ve done for this national team.”

Pulisic, who turns 27 on Sept. 18, made his international debut in 2016. He has become the team’s talisman, making 78 appearances while scoring 32 goals, a current team high.

“To talk about my commitment? The commitment that I’ve given to this game? That I’ve given to my national team, you know, for 10 years?” said on docuseries. “I have paid the price. That’s the only thing that starts to get on my nerves. But to be honest, it just fuels me to get back on the field and just shut everyone up and show everyone what I’m about, at the end of the day.”

Weah isn’t happy

Wait! It doesn’t stop with Pulisic. USMNT teammate Tim Weah, who recently completed a transfer from Juventus to Marseille, called the former players who have dared to criticize the team as “evil.”

That’s right, evil.

“I think those guys are chasing checks, and for me, I just feel like they’re really evil, honestly, because they’ve been players and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed,” Weah said. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand and try to be friends with you at the end of the day.

“Don’t get me wrong, I respect all of them. They were players that I looked up to. But quite frankly, the guys before us didn’t win anything, either.”

Well, the earlier generations did set the table for the current team. Meola, for example, backstopped the U.S. in its first World Cup appearance in 40 years in 1990. But we’ll have to do a U.S. soccer history in another piece.

Mark Pulisic defends his son

It should not come as a surprise that Pulisic’s father, Mark, a former pro soccer player himself, backed his son.

“These guys want clicks,” he said. “On social media, it’s ‘subscribe to my channels, listen to my podcasts,’ or whatever. I think they should look in the mirror and look at their last performances for the national team before they start talking s#@t.”

Lalas’ response

Those remarks opened the door for a response from Lalas on Fox and Meola on the Call It What You Want podcast on CBS Sports.

Lalas wrote “don’t bring your dad to a fight. I get that Mark Pulisic, like other dads out there, has been involved directly in bringing up, in this case, Christian. I get that he’s a former coach. But who brings their dad to a fight? If you’re angry at me or Landon or anybody else that is being critical of you, that’s fine. You have a platform, you have a microphone – some would say bigger than anybody else out there – to get that off your chest, but you don’t need to bring your dad.

“Never once has it even occurred to have my father defend me from the slings and arrows that are inevitable but well done. You got me to watch, and you got exactly what you wanted.”

Meola has his say

Meola and Mark Pulisic were teammates on the Oceanside Navahos team that captured the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Boys Under-19 crown in 1987. Pulisic scored twice that day, including a late game-winner in a 2-1 triumph over B.W. Gottschee.

“I’ve been friends with Mark Pulisic for a long time. We played together at the youth level. You gotta stay out, Mark,” Meola said.

“I know you’re a dad, I know you get emotional, your kid is at the top of the heap, right? I’ve got other friends in other major sports in America that their kids right now are in top of the heap. They listen to this all the time about their kids. You can’t respond.

“Stay out. Christian is a big boy. He will be able to do this on his own. He will be able to carry this team.”

This criticism and replies aren’t about to go away anytime soon, if ever.

The U.S. men have two friendlies coming up during the September FIFA international window against a pair of top-flight Asian sides. The Americans will face the Korea Republic at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. on Sept. 6 before meeting Japan at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 9.

Like it or not, Pulisic and his teammates will be under the microscopic and then some in those friendlies and anything concerning club or country from now until the end of the European domestic season in May and the first part of the Major League Soccer campaign before it takes its World Cup break.

And those criticisms and opinions won’t stop with the end of the World Cup. In the media environment that we live in today, it likely will continue forever.

Who knows? After this generation of USMNT players retire, they might find themselves in a similar situation when they become media pundits and get an opportunity to share their opinions, criticisms and analysis about another generation.