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United States Women's National Team legend Carli Lloyd did not hold back on how the USMNT should approach Christian Pulisic moving forward.
Lloyd expressed her thoughts on the State of the Union podcast with Alexi Lalas. Pulisic decided to not be with the team for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup to rest his body, drawing a lot of criticism from fans media pundits alike. Lloyd was on the critical side, believing that manager Mauricio Pochettino should send a message with the September roster.
“Well, if I were Pochettino, I would leave them out because I think that sends a strong message to the players, to the entirety of the team. And you know, the drama surrounding this team before going into the Gold Cup was everything you don't want to talk about.
“So we spent the entire buildup of the Gold Cup talking about all of these unnecessary things. And you go into the Gold Cup, and everybody's writing off this team, and then they inject some passion and grit and heart that we've been wanting to see this team do for so long,” Lloyd said (15:57).
“So I think that he leaves him off, and he kind of sets the record straight as far as this is my team. This is how I'm coaching, and if you don't want to come in and play a role in how you're supposed to be part of this team, then you won't be here.”
What lies ahead for Christian Pulisic, USMNT
It would definitely send a message throughout the entire USMNT locker room if Mauricio Pochettino does not have Christian Pulisic on the roster. Carli Lloyd has her viewpoint on the matter, emphasizing the importance of commitment.
Pulisic, alongside multiple key players, didn't take part in the Gold Cup. Despite that, the squad still reached the final of the tournament before losing 2-1 to Mexico.
What the USMNT needed was a spark. And to Lloyd's point, the squad was not in a good place for Pulisic to take the tournament off. They crashed out of the group stage of the 2024 Copa America as hosts and finished fourth in the Nations League.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches next year, which the U.S. hosts, they need all hands on deck if they wish to be successful. That certainly involves Pulisic and several important players. There should be no complacency or content with how they fared in past tournaments. They need to prove doubters wrong, something they can do in their upcoming matches this fall.
