Carli Lloyd Calls out Christian Pulisic Comments After USMNT World Cup Loss
The United States Men’s National Team experienced its worst game of the FIFAWorld Cup 2026 in the Round of 16, losing 4-1 to the world’s No. 8 team, Belgium.
With Belgium scoring early and responding to the only USMNT goal, it was a disastrous effort for the home team.
Amid the losing effort, star player Christian Pulisic went down on the pitch in the second half with an injury, and despite continuing to play briefly, he had to be subbed out. He could only watch from the bench as his team failed to respond to Belgium’s scoring attack.
After the loss, Pulisic expressed his disappointment in the USMNT’s result, but indicated that he now had “plenty of time to rest” after his injuries from the World Cup. That didn’t sit well with United States Women’s National Team legend, Carli Lloyd, who called out the U.S. player in an X message.
“You rest when your playing career is over. Period,” Lloyd wrote in her message.
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Against Belgium in the team’s biggest game, Pulisic suffered an ankle injury, which led to his exit from the matchup.
“I just twisted my ankle. Sprained my ankle,” he told Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft. “It’s just frustrating to end like that, of course, but you know, now I got time to rest, so feel it will be okay.”
Pulisic’s 2026 World Cup was underwhelming, with the player many dubbed the star player and leader of the USMNT failing to score any goals in the games he played. He tallied one assist in his 224 minutes on the field.
He suffered a calf injury during his team’s Group D game against Paraguay. That forced him to miss the team’s match against Australia, which they won, 2-0. Many individuals, including Lloyd, continually called upon Pulisic to step up his performances, but it never occurred.
Pulisic debuted four years ago at the 2022 World Cup, where he was a bigger star for the USMNT. He wasn’t hampered by injuries and finished that tournament with a goal and two assists.
Most likely, he’ll be back for the team’s attempt to build further success at the 2030 World Cup, hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. He and the rest of the USMNT now have four years to figure out how they can improve upon this year’s unfortunate result.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:28 AM.