Coming into the tournament with high expectations, Christian Pulisic never really found his footing at the 2026 World Cup. The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) needed him to be the hero when the tide got rough, but “Captain America” simply didn’t—due to a combination of injuries and poor performances in crucial games.
It’s too late for the USA now. Although the USMNT will receive prize money for reaching the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, it will be little consolation for the broken hearts across the country. Among those left disappointed and hoping for better from Pulisic and the Stars and Stripes was legendary forward Landon Donovan.
“In the end, [Pulisic] is your best player, he is your star, and it just didn’t happen for him. It’s just disappointing. I was waiting for a moment from him, something special, something spectacular, and it just didn’t happen,” Donovan said in a recent episode of his podcast, Unfiltered Soccer, with Tim Howard.
Injuries doomed Pulisic’s World Cup
After a great first half against Paraguay in the tournament opener, Pulisic was subbed off at halftime with a lower-body injury. He went on to miss the game against Australia before appearing in the second half of the USMNT’s loss to Turkiye to close out Group D.
Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States.
Pulisic played against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, but his performance flew under the radar. Instead, striker Folarin Balogun and German-born midfielder Malik Tillman stole the spotlight and led the Stars and Stripes to victory. One of the players born outside the United States led the USMNT to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
However, that would be as far as the United States would go, despite playing at home and having FIFA cancel Balogun’s red-card suspension, amid an admission from FIFA president Gianni Infantino that U.S. President Donald Trump called about the suspension. Pulisic was subbed off during the Round of 16 game against Belgium, in which the Stars and Stripes suffered their worst loss in a long time, sounding the death knell for their hopes and dreams at the 2026 World Cup.
What’s next?
From now on, the USMNT will have to watch as the tournament unfolds on home soil, while Pulisic will bear the weight of harsh criticism from sea to shining sea. With the United States eliminated, they will have to wait for the next World Cup, which will be in 2030. For the time being, there’s much work to be done.
