There was a quiver in Christian Pulisic’s voice as he answered the final question posed to him at the 2026 World Cup.
On its face, the question was straightforward: how did the overall experience of this tournament meet his expectations? The subtext was overwhelming. For eight years, this World Cup co-hosted by the United States has been viewed as the potential high-water mark of his career and those of his teammates. Every machination of American soccer has operated with signposts displaying “2026” in bold.
The first of his generation to emerge with the US men’s national team, Pulisic became the face of the program. And when his team needed him most, down two goals an hour into a last-16 contest on Monday, Pulisic wasn’t able to push his team back into contention. A clumsy connection with a Belgium opponent left him with twists in both his ankle and his knee, requiring a substitution.
In the wake of a humbling 4-1 defeat, the 2026 World Cup was in his rearview.
“I mean, it exceeded expectations just with it being in America, with the fans, the support that we felt,” Pulisic began before the words became harder to find. “The energy in the games, the way the guys fought and the time we were able to spend together as a group is what I’ll take with me the most. So it was an awesome summer.”
It’s a sentiment that could double as a scrawl in a high school yearbook, but an awfully incomplete reflection on his role at this tournament. For 45 blistering minutes, in the opening match against Paraguay, Pulisic seemed primed to make the most of his long-awaited star turn. Pulisic created two chances and one resulted in an assist. He completed four dribbles, made several timely tackles and won seven of his 10 duels.
Late in the half, Pulisic seemed to take an innocuous kick in the back of his leg that necessitated a half-time hook. After the match, Pulisicbacked himself to bounce back. That optimism persisted even as he missed the second group-stage game against Australia and came off the bench in the dead-rubber affair with Turkey.
Against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32, Pulisic played 88 minutes and led the team with three completed dribbles, but didn’t have the same end product. His sole shot, attempted from just outside the box, was blocked before it could enter the mixer. None of his 23 completed passes led to a shot. Hoping to contribute a signature moment on home soil, he entered the last 16 desperate for that opportunity.
Since Mauricio Pochettino took over and other players have emerged, Pulisic hasn’t needed to be the US’s focal point as often as he was under previous coach Gregg Berhalter. Such as shift seemed it could make him even more effective, without opponents glomming on to his every action. Against Belgium on Monday, Pulisic reverted to some of his former force-things-to-work tendencies. Pulisic lost the ball on 14 occasions before exiting in the 59th minute, per ESPN FC, making him the most dispossessed player from either side.
With Sergiño Dest struggling mightily in all phases, forcing Pochettino to sub him out at half-time, and Belgium dominating the midfield, Pulisic tried in vain to catalyze up the left flank, where the Americans found success in the group stage. While many viewing at home and in the stadium felt the US was second-best in most situations, especially at claiming loose balls, the Milan winger didn’t share that viewpoint.
“I wouldn’t say we weren’t as aggressive,” Pulisic said. “Belgium had a good gameplan, and they played balls in behind us when we pressed and caused a lot of problems, won a lot of second balls. And they were good in the boxes. That’s where the game comes down to, and they were clinical.”
Drifting from side to side trying to make an impact, Malik Tillman – who gave the US their only goal from another direct free-kick – was also at a bit of a loss.
“I know Belgium is a good team, and they have great players,” Tillman said. “I think they played to their advantage, and I think we had more possession, but we didn’t really find a way to be dangerous. That’s something we have to work on.”
After the match, Fox analyst and two-time Women’s World Cup champion Carli Lloyd voiced her disappointment in the US performance and gave particular focus to the player who featured during nearly ad break of Fox’s coverage.
“I think big-time players – you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments,” Lloyd said. “I gotta be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic. I think whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.”
Little glimpses. An incisive assist against Paraguay. One shift lasting more than an hour. Commercial experience working alongside Lionel Messi and Billy Bob Thornton. Far from the impact Pulisic and many outsiders expected from a player who has been front and center of the program since 2017.
For now, Pulisic will take a few weeks to rest with his family before preseason commences. Pochettino said after the game he hoped Pulisic’s ankle injury was not serious and that he would reintegrate with Milan after the break.
At 27, Pulisic is assumed to remain among the program’s most important players when the 2030 World Cup cycle kicks off. Before leaving the mixed zone on Monday, Pulisic said he was already looking forward to being “back with the national team” when the time comes.
“There’s still a lot more that we want to accomplish,” Pulisic said. Other arenas to enter, other competitions to contend in and hopefully win. Still, it seems a considerable part of his legacy has been clarified. The World Cup came to North America. The US played all five of their games on home soil. And save for the first 45 minutes of the very first game, their success largely came without Pulisic’s involvement.
