As the U.S. men`s national team prepares for the Concacaf Gold Cup, attention is focused on a notable absence: Christian Pulisic.
The attacking star was excluded from the Gold Cup roster and recent friendly matches. This was a joint decision made by Pulisic and USMNT staff, taking his significant workload into account. The AC Milan player has participated in 57 matches for club and country during the 2024-25 season and requested time off to recover. This summer presented his final opportunity to rest and recharge before the next club season and the 2026 World Cup.
While most had accepted this decision, retired USMNT star Landon Donovan publicly expressed his disapproval over the weekend, igniting a public disagreement involving Donovan and Pulisic`s father, Mark. Since then, numerous figures in the American soccer landscape have offered their opinions on social media, creating a lingering issue for the U.S. team in the year leading up to co-hosting the World Cup.
Here`s a breakdown of the recent public dispute between Donovan and Pulisic.
Christian Pulisic opts out of Gold Cup
Pulisic`s exclusion from the summer tournament was announced on May 22 with the release of the USMNT roster for friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland. He was among several key players unavailable for various reasons: Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna were competing in the FIFA Club World Cup; Antonee Robinson was recovering from minor knee surgery; and Yunus Musah was out for personal reasons amid reports he nears a move to Napoli.
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker explained the decision that day, confirming it was made mutually by the player and staff considering his demanding schedule. Pulisic has played 100 games for AC Milan over the past two seasons, logging over 7,000 minutes, in addition to 14 national team appearances in 2024 and 2025, including last summer`s Copa America.
In a statement, Crocker said, “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… 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.”
The USMNT coach echoed this sentiment during a recent press conference, indicating Pulisic has the national team staff`s full backing with the World Cup a year away.
The coach stated, “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… 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… 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, while broadcasting the UEFA Nations League final on Fox Sports, Donovan compared Cristiano Ronaldo`s commitment to that of some USMNT players. While he didn`t name anyone, his remarks were widely interpreted as being aimed specifically at Pulisic.
Donovan commented on air, “This is what it means to represent your country… 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… [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 takes to Instagram
Shortly after Donovan`s comments, Mark Pulisic, Christian`s father, posted a response on Instagram. He shared a screenshot from ChatGPT, where he had asked why Donovan took a sabbatical from 2012 to 2013. The chatbot`s reply explained that Donovan took the break because he was physically and mentally exhausted after years of intense competition and pressure as a top athlete, needing time to rest, travel, and return with a refreshed mindset.
In the caption to his post, Mark Pulisic added, “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 shared a photo on social media showing himself relaxing with loved ones, captioned, “Just what the Dr. ordered.”
The American soccer community chimes in
Donovan`s comment became a focal point of discussion in the American soccer community, with many notable figures offering their opinions, often disagreeing with the retired star. Eddie Johnson, who was Donovan`s teammate at the 2006 World Cup, posted particularly critical comments on Instagram.
Johnson wrote, “We can`t question this man`s love for representing his country… 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, another player with extensive European experience, discussed the challenges of transatlantic travel for national team duty on his podcast, The Deuce.
Dempsey stated, “In terms of [Pulisic`s] situation, I can`t say what it is, I don`t know the ins and outs of it… 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… 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 seemed to implicitly criticize Donovan`s own sabbatical taken over a decade prior.
Dempsey used an analogy, saying, “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?`… 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 speak up
It wasn`t only former USMNT players who responded to Donovan`s comments. Pulisic`s current teammates also voiced support this week, reflecting on shared difficult experiences with the national team.
Weston McKennie told USA Today, “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 feel like you`re risking injury, then it`s better to let someone else go in that is completely 100%.”
Tyler Adams, meanwhile, dismissed the comments as “noise,” emphasizing that the team was focused on preparing for the upcoming competition.
In an Associated Press interview, Adams stated, “We don`t talk about that internally as a group… 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.”
Dominic Ashworth