Pulisic and Weah Respond to Criticism from Former US National Team Players
In a recent episode of Paramount+’s documentary “Pulisic”, USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah have expressed their discontent with the “malicious” and “cowardly” criticism from former national team players.The episode, which chronicles a period of underperformance by the United States in 2025, as well as Pulisic’s decision to take a break from the Gold Cup, also featured Weah’s opinion on the growing criticism.“I would say the most annoying thing, and for me, the biggest cowardice of all time, is when, especially, commentators want to say: ‘They didn’t want to, they didn’t have heart, in our days, we fought and died on the field'”, commented Pulisic in the eighth episode of the documentary series, recorded at the beginning of the summer.
Christian Pulisic
The statements of both players, along with those of Mark Pulisic (Christian’s father), have fueled the controversy between the current and previous generation of USMNT stars. Before the Gold Cup, Landon Donovan, an emblematic figure of the United States, threw shade at Pulisic and other key USMNT players who would not be participating in the tournament, stating: “I can’t help but think about some of our guys on vacation, who don’t want to play in the Gold Cup. It’s getting me angry.”“Those guys are looking for checks, and for me, I feel like they’re really evil, honestly, because they’ve been players and they know what it’s like to be criticized,” Weah said. “They’re the same ones who will shake your hand and try to be friendly with you.”
Timothy Weah
Without Pulisic and other key players, the USMNT, with a squad full of substitute players, finished in second place after losing 2-1 against Mexico in the final on July 6.
Before the tournament, the United States had suffered a streak of four consecutive defeats, including a disappointing fourth place in the Concacaf Nations League. In response to Donovan, and days before the Gold Cup, Mark Pulisic turned to social media and asked ChatGPT to explain Donovan’s break from the sport in 2012-13. “Landon Donovan took his break because he felt physically and mentally exhausted after years of intense competition and the pressure that comes with being a top-level athlete,” it read in the AI text in a June social media post.Former US player Alexi Lalas also criticized Pulisic’s absence from the Gold Cup. In an interview, Pulisic stated: “You can talk about my performances, whatever you want, but to question my commitment, especially to the national team, in my opinion, that’s out of line.” Pulisic is preparing for the upcoming Serie A season with AC Milan, which will begin its 2025-26 campaign with an Italian Cup match against Bari on August 17. Weah has recently joined Marseille on loan from Juventus and will begin his Ligue 1 campaign against Rennes on August 15. Regarding the USMNT, their upcoming friendlies are scheduled for September 6 against South Korea and, three days later, against Japan.
