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Christian Pulisic is THE name you associate with this generation of American soccer for the United States. He's "Captain America," the player good enough to be a part of big-name European pro teams like Chelsea and AC Milan.
But on Monday night, social media and the airwaves were filled with Pulisic criticism. And, frankly, the stats don't lie. He's been on the past two World Cup teams for eight total matches. His stats? One goal and three assists. He's scored in some friendlies and in other international tournaments. But on the biggest of all stages? It's a bit damning to say the least. The injuries he's piled up haven't helped.
And as ESPN noted on Monday night, in the disappointing loss, Pulisic "lost possession 11 times in just 45 minutes. The MOST of any player on the field."
And former USWNT star Carli Lloyd called him out on Fox: "I'm a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic. 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."
No. It's never ALL on one player -- superstar or not -- when a team loses, right? This might be more about the United States state of soccer. Pulisic is good, but in the context of the best players in the world? He might not actually be a superstar. And as many point out every World Cup, the country's best athletes don't play soccer in this country. So it's more about that than it is about Pulisic.
But multiple things can be true. And the truth is: It's disappointing to see Pulisic come up short when the expectations are that he's supposed to be the USMNT's best player. We'll presumably see him for the next World Cup.
There were a ton of mistakes made, the Pulisic injury that led to him being replaced... but it really feels like Belgium was just the better team. And even if the United States had played its best and moved on to face Spain, the USMNT would have had an uphill battle against one of the world's top squads that hasn't let a single goal in during the entire World Cup.
Sometimes, it's the better team that wins. Plain and simple.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Does Christian Pulisic deserve all the criticism after latest USMNT World Cup loss?
Continue reading...
But on Monday night, social media and the airwaves were filled with Pulisic criticism. And, frankly, the stats don't lie. He's been on the past two World Cup teams for eight total matches. His stats? One goal and three assists. He's scored in some friendlies and in other international tournaments. But on the biggest of all stages? It's a bit damning to say the least. The injuries he's piled up haven't helped.
And as ESPN noted on Monday night, in the disappointing loss, Pulisic "lost possession 11 times in just 45 minutes. The MOST of any player on the field."
And former USWNT star Carli Lloyd called him out on Fox: "I'm a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic. 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."
Is the USMNT loss and World Cup failure all on Christian Pulisic?
No. It's never ALL on one player -- superstar or not -- when a team loses, right? This might be more about the United States state of soccer. Pulisic is good, but in the context of the best players in the world? He might not actually be a superstar. And as many point out every World Cup, the country's best athletes don't play soccer in this country. So it's more about that than it is about Pulisic.
But multiple things can be true. And the truth is: It's disappointing to see Pulisic come up short when the expectations are that he's supposed to be the USMNT's best player. We'll presumably see him for the next World Cup.
Who is to blame for the USA loss to Belgium?
There were a ton of mistakes made, the Pulisic injury that led to him being replaced... but it really feels like Belgium was just the better team. And even if the United States had played its best and moved on to face Spain, the USMNT would have had an uphill battle against one of the world's top squads that hasn't let a single goal in during the entire World Cup.
Sometimes, it's the better team that wins. Plain and simple.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Does Christian Pulisic deserve all the criticism after latest USMNT World Cup loss?
Continue reading...
