A noticeable tremble ran through Christian Pulisic’s voice as he responded to the last question put to him at the 2026 World Cup.
On the surface, the query was simple: how did the tournament as a whole measure up against his expectations? But the weight came from what lay beneath. For eight years, this World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, had been framed as the potential highlight of his career and that of his colleagues. Every move in American soccer has been planned with bright arrows pointing toward “2026.”
As the first of his generation to break through with the US men’s national team, Pulisic became the symbol of the side. And when his team was in dire need, trailing by two goals an hour into a round-of-16 match on Monday, Pulisic couldn’t drag his team back into the fight. An awkward collision with a Belgian player left him with injuries to both his ankle and his knee, forcing him off the pitch.
In the aftermath of a sobering 4-1 loss, the 2026 World Cup was already behind him.
“I mean, it surpassed expectations just with it being on home soil, with the supporters, the backing we felt,” Pulisic started before his words began to catch. “The atmosphere in the matches, the way the guys battled and the moments we shared together as a squad is what I’ll carry with me most. So it was an incredible summer.”
The remark could pass for a note scribbled in a school yearbook, yet it feels like a painfully incomplete summary of his part in this competition. For 45 scorching minutes in the opening contest against Paraguay, Pulisic looked ready to seize his long-anticipated moment in the spotlight. He set up two scoring chances, with one turning into an assist. He completed four take-ons, made several well-timed tackles, and came out on top in seven of his 10 individual battles.
Toward the end of the half, Pulisic appeared to receive a harmless knock to the back of his leg that required him to be substituted at the break. After the game, Pulisic expressed confidence he would recover quickly. That hopeful outlook persisted even as he sat out the second group-stage fixture against Australia and appeared only as a substitute in the match with nothing at stake against Turkey.
Facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, Pulisic stayed on for 88 minutes and topped his team with three successful dribbles, but lacked the same cutting edge. His only attempt on goal, struck from just outside the penalty area, was blocked before it could cause any danger. Not one of his 23 completed passes resulted in a shot. Eager to deliver a defining moment on familiar ground, he walked into the last 16 desperate for that chance.
Since Mauricio Pochettino assumed command and other talents stepped forward, Pulisic hasn’t been required to carry the US attack as frequently as he did under former manager Gregg Berhalter. That shift seemed as though it might make him even more dangerous, with opponents not swarming his every move. Against Belgium on Monday, however, Pulisic slipped back into some of his old patterns of trying to force the issue. He gave away possession on 14 occasions before coming off in the 59th minute, according to match data, making him the most dispossessed player on either team.
Christian Pulisic player guide embed
With Sergiño Dest having a difficult night in every facet, forcing Pochettino to remove him at the interval, and Belgium controlling the center of the park, Pulisic tried unsuccessfully to spark something along the left side, where the Americans had thrived during the group phase. While many watching from the stands and at home felt the US was second-best in most areas, particularly in claiming loose balls, the Milan wide player saw things differently.
“I wouldn’t say we lacked aggression,” Pulisic remarked. “Belgium came with a strong plan, and they played balls over the top when we pressed and created lots of problems, won plenty of second balls. And they performed in both penalty areas. That’s what these games come down to, and they took their chances.”
Roaming across the pitch in search of influence, Malik Tillman — who grabbed the Americans’ only goal from another direct set piece — was also somewhat at a loss.
“I recognize Belgium are a quality team with excellent players,” Tillman said. “I think they played to their strengths, and I feel we had more of the ball, but we couldn’t really figure out how to threaten them consistently. That’s an area we need to improve.”
Following the final whistle, former two-time Women’s World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, working as a studio pundit, voiced her dismay at the US showing and directed particular attention toward the player who featured in nearly every commercial break of the network’s broadcast coverage.
“I think when it comes to marquee players — you hoped some of those marquee players would rise to the occasion in big moments,” Lloyd said. “I have to be candid, I was a bit let down by Christian Pulisic. I believe whether he wants to be the figurehead of this team or not, we didn’t witness enough from him in this specific match, and truthfully across the whole World Cup. Small flashes here and there.”
Small flashes. A sharp assist against Paraguay. One appearance lasting more than an hour. Promotional spots alongside Lionel Messi and Billy Bob Thornton. A considerable distance from the influence Pulisic and many onlookers had envisioned from a player who has been at the forefront of the program since 2017.
For the immediate future, Pulisic will take a few weeks to rest alongside his family before preseason training begins. Pochettino stated after the match that he hoped Pulisic’s ankle problem would prove minor and that he would rejoin Milan following the break.
At 27, Pulisic is expected to remain one of the program’s key figures when the cycle toward the 2030 World Cup begins. Before departing the mixed zone on Monday, Pulisic mentioned he was already eager to return “to the national team” whenever that moment arrives.
“There’s still a lot more we want to achieve,” Pulisic said. New stages to step onto, other tournaments to compete in and hopefully claim. Yet it feels as though a sizeable portion of his legacy has taken shape. The World Cup arrived in North America. The US contested all five of their matches on home soil. And aside from the first 45 minutes of the very first fixture, their achievements largely unfolded without Pulisic’s defining contribution.
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