World Cup 2026 Soccer No one should be surprised by Christian Pulisic disappearing act: Ex-USMNT star By Grace McCarron Published July 9, 2026, 1:49 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google The criticism swirling around Christian Pulisic isn’t dying down.
The USMNT star and his teammates have felt the wrath of pundits and fans after a 4-1 beatdown by Belgium that knocked the U.S. out of the World Cup in the Round of 16.
On Wednesday, Taylor Twellman weighed in, joining the chorus of former U.S. Soccer stars that includes the likes of Landon Donovan and Carli Lloyd.
Christian Pulisic of the United States is pictured at halftime during the round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, the United States, July 6, 2026. Xinhua/Shutterstock “Listen, Christian’s a fantastic player and I still think he’s always going to be in the conversation for the best [American] player ever,” Twellman, who earned 30 caps with the USMNT and is currently an Apple TV MLS analyst, said on the “Dan Patrick Show.”
“But you can’t be naive and not remember that from January 1 to the World Cup, he had zero goal contributions for [AC] Milan. Before that, I just want everyone that’s listening to know: July 27, 2025 to January 1, 2026, he was second in goal contributions in Serie A and then literally saw a ghost.”
Pulisic did not contribute a single goal to the U.S. cause in an injury-marred tournament, and Twellman doesn’t seem surprised.
“A player of his caliber, you can get assists. …So he’s not just a goalscorer,” he said. “I need the general public to understand. But he’s a playmaker. He does things that other players can’t. He’s your guy for the United States. However, from January 1, 2026 to the beginning of World Cup camp before the Senegal game, he had zero goal contributions. So if anyone’s a little surprised that he struggled this World Cup, well, you didn’t read the tea leaves…
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“There’s no asterisk…Everybody on the field against Belgium was not good enough. It wasn’t because Pulisic didn’t do anything attacking third. They were all not good enough.”
On Thursday, it was revealed that Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and microfracture of the tibia/fibula in his right leg during the World Cup,
The day before, he acknowledged what was left on the World Cup field.
United States’ Christian Pulisic, second from right, reacts on the bench during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. AP Photo/Abbie Parr “Tough to find the words. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed,” Pulisic wrote on Instagram. “The support carried us all the way through. It simply wasn’t good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more. I still feel blessed to be a part of this team. The memories this summer will last a lifetime. It’s just the start for us and for this sport in America.”
It will be a long four years of reflection before the USMNT will take the biggest stage again in the 2030 World Cup.
