The fate of Christian Pulisic has been at the forefront of America’s mind.
For the better part of a decade, the 28-year-old forward has long been considered the face and heartbeat of the U.S. men’s national team; however, he failed to deliver when the Stars and Stripes needed him most. At the 2026 World Cup this summer, he picked up more injuries (two) than goal contributions (one) and possessed nothing of the magic that has come to define his career at soccer’s highest levels.
The team had to lean on new stars, such as Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun, to still have a magical summer. Pulisic had just 45 minutes of solid play on home soil, and when he hit the ground with yet another injury in the round of 16 against Belgium, it almost felt inevitable.
Pulisic’s lackluster performance followed an even more disheartening spring, in which he suffered a career-worst goal-less drought that dated back to 2025, going 20 matches without a goal for club side AC Milan.
Only exacerbated by Mauricio Pochettino’s youth revolution, many fans and members of the media have been quick to assert that not only should Pulisic no longer be the face of the USMNT, but actually he doesn’t belong on the roster at all. Some have gone even farther to claim that his injury exit in the ultimate 4–1 thrashing by the Belgians was evidence that he has personally quit on the national team.
Former USMNT star Kellyn Acosta has since rushed to his former teammate’s defense. The two are close friends, having played together at the 2022 World Cup, and Acosta believes that what Pulisic brings to the squad is invaluable.
The ‘Fickle’ Nature of Soccer Fandom
Acosta took particular issue with people questioning Pulisic’s allegiance to the national team. In his mind, there is nobody more committed.
“That’s so harsh,” Acosta told Herculez Gomez on Vamos Network. “For a guy that’s done so much for the national team, for people just to turn on him as quickly as they have. It’s just spreading like wildfire.
“There’s a difference between saying he’s not performing well and what not, but saying that [he] gave up on [his] team is questioning his character and his love for his teammates, the game and the national team. That gives me a sour taste because I know him personally, and I know that’s not who he is. He is judged incorrectly.”
Pulisic fell to the ground in the 57th minute against Belgium. In attempt to kick the ball, he instead collided with the lower leg of his Belgian opponent, Youri Tielemans, twisting his ankle and knee in the process. Despite initially attempting to play through the pain, he limped off the pitch just before the hour mark. It proved to be the nail in the coffin of the horrific loss, and Pulisic was shown on the bench with his head in his hands in disbelief for much of the remainder of the match.
The star would come to discover that he had suffered a bone bruise and a micro-fracture in his tibia/fibula; nevertheless, critics asserted that he should have played through the pain in the biggest game of his career to date.
“Obviously he has different circumstances as to why things have happened in the way that they have, [like] him getting injured in the World Cup,” Acosta said. “Sometimes things happen. This is football. This is life.“
In the aftermath of the World Cup, Pulisic has struggled to recover. He remained an unused substitute in AC Milan’s first three matches, a situation that had “upset” him according to Milan manager Ruben Amorim. He has since slowly worked his way back into the starting lineup, yet still has just one goal.
He was also not called up by Pochettino for the fall international window, seeing the Argentine boss select 13 uncapped players, including eight teenagers, instead of the seasoned veteran. Despite Pulisic’s absence, the youngsters cruised to four-straight victories.
Pulisic is experiencing nothing more than a dip in form, according to Acosta, and shouldn’t be so hastily discredited by the soccer community.
“To criticize him at the level that people have, that’s crazy unfair,” Acosta exclaims. “And to even question that he’ll still be in the [player] pool ... I’m like, ‘You guys are crazy.’ A person of his caliber, you’re gonna say that he doesn’t belong within the team, and he shouldn’t be there. You guys are crazy.
“People are just so fickle. I mean, it’s up and down. It’s like they love you when you’re at your best and they hate you at your worst.”
Will Pulisic Make the 2030 World Cup?
Many have written off Pulisic for the 2030 World Cup. He will be 31 years old at that time, the current age of Acosta. Despite still being an active player for Polish side Pogoń Szczecin, Acosta himself hasn’t featured for the Stars and Stripes since 2023, before his 28th birthday.
Nevertheless, Acosta has every faith that Pulisic will play a starring role in 2030.
“He’s a man of the moment,” he asserted. “Whenever there is something that needs big moments, he shows up. He scores some incredible goals, some big goals. He finds a way, and we’ve seen it time and time again.”
“You always felt like there was some magic he was going to figure out and do, and he’s done it,” Acosta added. “... He’s done it for club and country, and I wouldn’t see why not in 2030. I think he will still play a pivotal role for our team.”
Acosta may believe in Pulisic, but the real question remains: does Pochettino?
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