World Cup 2026 Soccer Former USWNT player brutally shades Christian Pulisic’s take on his disappointing World Cup By Jenna Lemoncelli Published July 7, 2026, 5:56 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux didn’t sugarcoat her reaction to the USMNT’s stunning 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on Monday.
Leroux, who missed the 2025 NWSL season for mental health reasons, threw shade at U.S. star forward Christian Pulisic after he said he has time to rest now that the Americans’ World Cup run is over.
“I mean, I just twisted my ankle, sprained my ankle,” Pulisic told Fox Sports of the injury he sustained in the 59th minute after kicking the back of Belgium’s Youri Tielemans’ leg.
He rested the entire World Cup. https://t.co/FwBr3Oy7zp
“It’s just frustrating to end like that, of course. But now I have time to rest. I feel it’ll be OK.”
Leroux, a former U.S. Women’s National Team player, reposted a clip of the interview.
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“He rested the entire World Cup,” she wrote on X.
Leroux also replied with “agree” to someone who said, “Shoutout to Sebastian Berhalter for being the only one showing any fire and passion tonight” — referring to the U.S. player who replaced Pulisic after he went down.
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Pulisic was a non-factor for the U.S. before he was subbed off in the match against the ninth-ranked Red Devils.
Before that, he dealt with a calf injury that forced him to miss parts of three World Cup games.
The 27-year-old Pulisic finished the tournament with zero goals scored and just one assist — and many felt the U.S. star could’ve done more to help his team make a deep World Cup run.
“I’m disappointed with myself, of course, but I’m going to try to stay positive,” he said. “I did a lot of good things and the team did as well.”
Pulisic explained that he will take some time off to prepare for the club season with AC Milan — and “no doubt” will be back with the national team.
“For me, it’s just going and spending some time with family and forget about the game for a little bit, of course, try to get a little bit of rest,” he said.
“We’ll be right back in a few weeks going back to preseason and back with the national team, no doubt. There’s still a lot more that we want to accomplish.”
She played for Team USA from 2011-17 and helped the national team secure a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Leroux was also part of the USWNT’s 2015 World Cup-winning squad.
