Christian Pulisic criticized by Carli Lloyd, Nick Wright after 'disappointing' World Cup with USMNT

Christian Pulisic criticized by Carli Lloyd, Nick Wright after 'disappointing' World Cup with USMNT originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>The United States crashed out of the World Cup on Monday night, suffering a 4-1 loss to Belgium in front of their home fans.

>Plenty of moments contributed to the defeat, including a misplay by goalkeeper Matt Freese that led to Belgium's third goal of the night, but Christian Pulisic has taken the brunt of the criticism.

>Pulisic, who has been labeled "Captain America" as the de facto leader of the American squad, left due to injury after an ineffective start to the game and finished the World Cup without a goal.

>Here's a look at Pulisic's criticism and his difficult World Cup.

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Christian Pulisic criticized for World Cup performancePulisic heard his share of criticism after the loss, including rather direct words from former United States women's star Carli Lloyd:

>"You wanted some of the big time players to step up in big moments, and I've got to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic," Lloyd 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."

Carli Lloyd not mincing words on USMNT or Christian Pulisic pic.twitter.com/EahB27vG4J

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 7, 2026In a series of tweets, FS1 analyst Nick Wright pointed out that Pulisic skipped the Gold Cup to prepare for the World Cup and blasted the 27-year-old for a "no-show" in the tournament.

>"To have the man who is supposed to be the greatest player in the history of our country simply no-show in the biggest tournament of his life is just awful," Wright said.

To be clear, there were a TON of reasons the @USMNT lost today—primarily that Belgium was way better in all facets.

But to have the man who is supposed to be the greatest player in the history of our country simply no-show in the biggest tournament of his life is just awful.

— nick wright (@getnickwright) July 7, 2026Journalist Josina Anderson, meanwhile, said the U.S. men's team needs to have an "honest conversation" about Pulisic in response to a tweet about his turnover troubles.

>Here's a closer look at Pulisic's struggles in the World Cup.

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Christian Pulisic World Cup statsBilled by many in the media as "Captain America," the 27-year-old Pulisic was supposed to take this World Cup by the horns. Instead, he struggled to make the impact most expected.

>Here are his marks across the USA's five World Cup games, one of which he missed:

Games: 4 • >Goals: 0 • >Assists: 1  • >Shots: 4Pulisic didn't score in the World Cup and only recorded one assist in four games. He attempted four shots for the United States and struggled with turnovers on Monday in particular, losing the ball more than any other player on either team in the first half against Belgium.

>Pulisic rarely played a full game, as he exited at halftime of the USA's opener against Paraguay with a calf injury, missed the win over Australia, and subbed in for a portion of the group stage finale against Turkey. After getting back to full strength against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pulisic exited vs. Belgium with a new injury.

>Here are the details on Pulisic's injuries.

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Christian Pulisic injuriesPulisic suffered a calf injury just before halftime of the United States' World Cup opener against Paraguay and missed the team's next game against Australia. While the USA's group stage finale against Turkey was meaningless, Pulisic subbed in to warm up before the knockout stage.

>After seemingly returning to health, a visibly frustrayed Pulisic suffered an ankle injury against Belgium and was forced out of the game.

>"I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play," Pulisic told reporters after the loss. "I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It's just unfortunate way to finish."

>Pulisic only played one complete game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that hasn't shielded him from much criticism in the wake of the deflating exit.