Landon Donovan criticized Pulisic's performance in the 2026 World Cup
The former United States forward believes that Christian Pulisic only stands out against easy Concacaf rivals. He didn't shine in the World Cup
The United States team said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16 of the tournament. The USMNT was eliminated by Belgium after showing a good level in the tournament. Landon Donovan questioned the absence of the team's leader: Christian Pulisic.
“He's your best player, he's your star, and he just didn't take advantage of the opportunity,” Landon Donovan began his intervention. The former USMNT forward was very critical of the AC Milan footballer's performance.
"I want to be careful because I know that a lot of people are criticizing him and much of that criticism is deserved. It's just disappointing. I was waiting for a decisive moment on his part, and it never came," he said.
The United States showed a good face in the first phase of the tournament. The Concacaf team beat Paraguay and Australia, but on the last day they lost against Türkiye. However, this did not take first place away from the American team.
In the round of 32 they had no major problems beating Bosnia and Herzegovina. But difficulties would come against Belgium. In the duel against the Belgians, the United States only generated two shots on goal during the entire match in the 1-4 win.
"When the games are easy, like in a home tie against Jamaica, he does deliver. But in the key moments, in the important games, he simply hasn't been up to par," he added.
It was assumed that the United States could have gone further in the 2026 World Cup than the other hosts. One of the reasons for this forecast was that the USMNT had more renowned footballers and a prominent figure like Christian Pulisic. However, this did not prevent the fate of the United States from being the same as that of the other teams: eliminated in the round of 16.