As the U.S. men`s national team finalizes preparations for the Concacaf Gold Cup, attention is largely focused on one player not currently with the squad: Christian Pulisic.
The attacking standout was omitted from the USMNT`s roster for this month`s pre-Gold Cup friendlies and was not included in the final squad for this summer`s tournament. This decision was made jointly by Pulisic and the USMNT staff, taking into account his demanding workload. The AC Milan star has played 57 matches for club and country during the 2024-25 season and requested time off to recover, using this summer as his last opportunity for rest before the next club season and the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup.
While most initially accepted the decision following its announcement, former USMNT star Landon Donovan publicly voiced his disapproval over the weekend, igniting a public disagreement with Pulisic`s father, Mark. In the days since, numerous figures in the American soccer landscape have taken to social media to share their perspectives, casting a shadow over the U.S. team as they enter the final year before co-hosting the World Cup.
Here`s a breakdown of the controversy involving Donovan and Pulisic.
Christian Pulisic Opts Out of Gold Cup
Pulisic`s exclusion from this summer`s competition was announced on May 22 when the USMNT roster for friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland was released. He was one of several prominent players missing, each for different reasons – Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna were involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, Antonee Robinson underwent minor knee surgery, and Yunus Musah was excluded for personal reasons, as he now nears a move to Napoli.
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker explained Pulisic`s absence that day, characterizing it as a mutual decision with the player and staff, driven by his heavy schedule. Pulisic has played 100 games for AC Milan over the last two seasons, accumulating over 7,000 minutes on the pitch just for his club. He also played 14 additional national team games in 2024 and 2025, including last summer`s Copa America campaign.
“Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,” Crocker said in a statement. “After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he`s fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.”
Coach Pochettino echoed this sentiment during a recent press conference, indicating Pulisic has the full support of the national team staff, especially with the World Cup just a year away.
“We all had a conversation between each other, and I think the best decision in this case is what is going to happen, [which] is to give rest,” Pochettino said. “Many people can say it`s really important for us to all be together for the last time before the World Cup, but as a coaching staff, we always listen to the player and then, of course, we take the decision. We have our own ideas about everything. But I think after the consideration about Christian, we decided the best for him, the best for the national team is the decision that we made.”
Landon Donovan: “It`s Pissing Me Off”
On June 8, during Fox Sports` broadcast of the UEFA Nations League final, Donovan drew a comparison between Portugal`s Cristiano Ronaldo and certain USMNT players. While he didn`t explicitly name anyone, his comments were widely interpreted as targeting Pulisic.
“This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said. “This is what it means. And if you don`t want to take this as a professional soccer player, as someone who gets the opportunity to wear that jersey and take it seriously and responsibly, then don`t come in. This is what it means. [Ronaldo`s] 40 years old. He`s played a long ass season. He`s tired. 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 pissing me off.”
Pulisic`s Father Responds on Instagram
Shortly after Donovan`s remarks, Christian`s father, Mark Pulisic, posted his own response on Instagram. He shared a screenshot from ChatGPT, where he had asked the chatbot to explain why Donovan took a sabbatical from 2012 to 2013. The AI responded that Donovan was feeling “physically and mentally exhausted after years of intense competition and the pressure that comes with being a top athlete,” and needed to “step back and take some time for himself” to “rest, travel, and ultimately return to the game with a refreshed mindset.”
In his caption, Mark Pulisic further challenged Donovan, writing, “This guy is talking about commitment. Look in the mirror + grow a pair and call names out, or are you afraid? Next time you want an interview, you will get rejected again.” Christian Pulisic liked the post and later, on Tuesday, shared a photo of himself relaxing with loved ones, accompanied by the caption, “Just what the Dr. ordered.”
The American Soccer Community Reacts
Donovan`s comment has since become a focal point of debate within the American soccer community, prompting many notable figures to offer their opinions, often disagreeing with the retired star. Eddie Johnson, who was Donovan`s teammate at the 2006 World Cup, offered particularly strong criticism in an Instagram comment.
“We can`t question this man`s love for representing his country,” Johnson said. “If you know CP, that kid wants to play every chance he can play … CP has more wear and tear on his body at a younger age … A career in MLS can`t compare to the workload and travel of a player whose entire career was in Europe and has to travel from abroad to the states for friendlies and qualifiers. You just can`t compare…”
Clint Dempsey, who spent a significant portion of his career playing in Europe, spoke about the demands of crossing the Atlantic for national team duty on his podcast, “The Deuce.”
“In terms of [Pulisic`s] situation, I can`t say what it is, I don`t know the ins and outs of it,” Dempsey said. “But in terms of my situation, when I played in Europe and came back, there were times where I was tired. I had to get a PRP injection in my adductor. I had to maybe rest for some of the friendly games so that I could be fit to play in the tournaments. Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa [America], whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup. Like, I wasn`t gonna miss competitions. That`s just the kind of guy that I always was. So, for me, I don`t understand it because that wasn`t my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games.”
He also appeared to implicitly criticize Donovan`s decision to take a sabbatical over a decade ago.
“The analogy I use is you have the opportunity to go plant the crops, harvest the crops, and then you`re sitting at the table, it`s time to eat, and you`re showing up when it`s time to eat. It`s kind of like, `Where were you when we were grinding in the sun, putting that stuff out there, the away games, your back against the wall?`” Dempsey said. “I don`t know what he was dealing with and what he was going through, that`s the hard part, but to build your teammates` trust and all that, you`ve got to go through the wars with them, the battles with them. You`ve got to be able to look and say, `Hey, they`re not going to flake on you. When your back`s against the wall and you need to win, they`re going to be right there with you.` So I can`t say what their situations were, but that`s how I looked at that.”
Pulisic`s Teammates Offer Support
The reactions to Donovan`s comments haven`t been limited to retired players; Pulisic`s current teammates have also voiced support this week, discussing their shared experiences during challenging periods for the national team.
Weston McKennie spoke to USA Today, stating,
“None of us take for granted that we get to represent a national team because it`s one of the biggest honors that we can have in the sport of football. Any chance that we get, we want to play. But obviously, if you don`t feel like your body is in the right condition, and you don`t feel like your body is in the best form or shape or whatever, to be able to do that at 100%, and you feel like you`re risking injury, then it`s better to let someone else go in that is completely 100%.”
Meanwhile, Tyler Adams referred to the comments as simply “noise” as he and the other players on the Gold Cup roster focus on their upcoming competition.
“We don`t talk about that internally as a group,” Adams said in an interview with the Associated Press. “The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build.”
Benedict Kingsley