Original subtitles

You're watching "Pulisic"

presented by Michelob Ultra.

Also presented by Volkswagen.

Pulisic!

This atmosphere is incredible.

With the 60,000 plus crowd,

Christian Pulisic will look for a big night tonight.

He's a big time player

coming off an incredible season with clubs.

What a great moment for him to show the level he has.

You know, coming out of any World Cup,

there's only one winner.

Every other country walks away without a trophy.

And for most of those teams that means a rebuilding cycle.

But there is always the possibility

that you're coming out

with some hope for the future.

And 20 months after the World Cup in Qatar,

exactly two years to the day, actually,

before the opening of the 2026 World Cup in the United States,

the U.S. found themselves in a friendly against Brazil.

Christian Pulisic leading the United States

as they face the five-time World Cup champions.

But there are friendlies and then there are friendlies

and this is one of them

because Brazil showed up with the full squad stacked.

A final test for both of these sides

before the Copa America begins.

Will the U.S. keep Brazil at bay?

You very rarely get a chance to see

what you're capable of against the world's best

and you have a big tournament at home

that comes right out.

We are underway in Orlando,

But the U.S. hung in there blow by blow.

A fast and clumsy start to this one.

I like this one from Christian Pulisic,

just letting them know there's gonna be a game here.

I mean, yeah, Brazil took the lead first,

but then they made a mistake.

Fouled Pulisic right outside the box.

Pulisic trying to get the shot--

Free kick right on the edge of the area!

And Pulisic made them pay.

Pulisic standing on the free kick,

having won the free kick.

It's Pulisic!

It's 1-1.

Christian Pulisic with a goal to level it up.

And then for the rest of the game,

the U.S. did not back down for a second.

They even had the chance to beat Brazil,

which would've been only the second time in history

that they had ever done that.

But they ended up with a draw

which is still, you know, it's pretty impressive

considering the opponent.

I mean, first a draw with England

in the World Cup and now Brazil.

So if you're a U.S. fan,

you've got to come out of this game

with a lot of hope.

And the next thing on the calendar is a big tournament

with a ton of big teams on home soil.

Copa America.

But this is when the wheels start coming off.

So the Copa America is one of these tournaments where

if you're a national team, you get to test yourself

outside of a World Cup.

World Cup, of course, is every four years,

but in between those four years

you have tournaments like this.

And you're playing against some of the biggest teams

in your region, in this case CONCACAF

teams like Mexico and Canada.

But you're also competing against South America,

the Brazils of the world, the Argentinas of the world,

in a tournament that actually matters.

Will the U.S. leave their mark

on this 108-year old competition?

Tonight they begin their fifth Copa America venture.

You know, if you're the US

and the U.S. fan base after that World Cup performance

and then the friendly against Brazil,

this is a tournament that you're looking forward to.

And then add the fact that this is a tournament on home soil.

The U.S. is expected to compete.

I mean, maybe not win it, but who knows?

We are underway here in Dallas.

So they start out in a group of four.

You got Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay.

At the very least, the U.S. is expected

to come out of this group, right?

Pulisic already trying to get the crowd going.

And they've responded.

Going into Copa America, I think we were excited

to have another opportunity to play a major tournament

to compete in and represent ourselves in

and go through that pressure situation

that we were in in Qatar again.

And we felt like we were a lot more equipped

for this opportunity.

It's really a chance to show this region

and show the world that we're, you know,

a team that, you know, can be feared.

The first game in the group is against Bolivia.

They beat them 2-0.

Christian has a goal, he has an assist.

Pulisic has it back now,

through the traffic-- Pulisic! What a goal!

What a start for the United States!

I mean, it goes pretty much as well as could be expected.

Job done for the man of the United States

on their opening day of Copa America.

And then they head to Atlanta a couple days later

to play Panama

and that's when the cracks start to showing.

The pressure is on already tonight

as the United States takes on Panama.

Yeah, no, the Panama game, I mean,

it started off-- it started off very well,

but Panama is a super aggressive team

and you know, they try to get at you,

they try to bug you out on the pitch,

especially when you're a targeted player.

And then, you know, obviously I had a moment.

Red card for Tim Weah,

striking Roderick Miller

and the U.S. will play with 10

for the entire rest of the night.

Weah draws the red card, all of that mess...

Puts it back in the middle, it's in!

Panama scored!

And the U.S. are stunned.

The pressure finally breaks through.

They have been beaten tonight.

Panama coming from behind

after the 18th minute Tim Weah red card

and a U.S. lead...

And now questions are being asked

about the team and the manager.

The team, you know, didn't get the job done

and I'm-- I'm lost for words. I'm in shock.

And remember, this is on the heels of the World Cup

where there was all kinds of controversy

with Berhalter sitting Gio Reyna,

thinking about sending him home.

Reyna's parents mounting accusations against Berhalter.

Berhalter's contract isn't picked up.

Then he is rehired.

It was a mess.

So the team has a bit of a cloud

hanging over them the whole time.

And now they're in a potential situation

where, to get out of the group stage,

they have to beat Uruguay.

A team that's won this thing like 15 times.

Can Team USA survive

and advance out of Group C?

We are ready to go here in Kansas City.

Can these guys get the job done?

We are underway.

You know, it was a complete disaster.

From-- from start to finish.

Richards, the big tackle,

didn't get there in time.

Yellow card, Chris Rich--

Well, now we gonna keep playing on, but if the ref--

- That's ridiculous. - Cannot give advantage.

You know, we got a red card in the Panama game

and then the Uruguay game,

we had some pretty questionable refereeing.

Tyler Adams is gonna pick up a yellow card for that.

He's kind of bewildered.

Might have been a handball there.

Looks like the referee was thinking about calling it.

And right as it looked like Pulisic is gonna go away--

Why don't they let him play?

...to run, now he calls it.

My gosh!

Greg Berhalter is furious right now

and he should be, that's insane.

I think that's about every U.S. fan

watching this at home right now.

But we weren't in a great spot.

And I think that all in all,

we didn't come in in good form.

And, you know, we paid the price for it.

De La Cruz sends it in...

Turner, the save!

The rebound-- it's a goal.

At the end of the day, the game plan from Greg Berhalter,

the mindset from the team as well,

wasn't enough.

That's it. That's the end.

The United States is done at the Copa America.

I mean, for me, the lasting image

of this tournament from a U.S. perspective

is Christian going up to the refs,

telling them to go celebrate with the Uruguayans.

The ref doesn't offer his hand back.

I think that just symbolizes the disappointment,

the frustration that Christian was feeling in that moment.

This is supposed to be this group of American players

that is going to take the men's side to new heights.

That this team is not able to do anything better

than has done in the past.

That hurts to say.

So after all this excitement

around the team for two years,

all of a sudden there's all this doubt in the air

and people start thinking that this team has not evolved.

I mean, they crashed out at the group stage

at the Copa America.

This is an opportunity.

The U.S. rarely gets opportunities

to test themselves against top teams.

And when they do, if this is a golden generation,

you have to do better

than crashing out on the group stage, period.

Any time you're in a major competition

and you're on home soil,

you don't even get out of the ... group?

There's gonna be some criticism that comes with that.

This version of the U.S. Men's National Team

should have been able to come out with a point.

They didn't.

They created the situation.

They have nobody else but themselves to blame.

When the team loses,

they're gonna be pointing fingers

and most of the time

it's gonna be either at the coach

or whoever's made a really glaring mistake.

I guess that's gonna be the question.

How much of this is on Greg Berhalter?

How much of this is on the group of players?

Any time you fail like that, you're accountable

and you leave yourself open to potential firing.

And that's coaching at the highest level.

We've been waiting to hear on the decision

on the future of Greg Berhalter

as the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team.

And yesterday we got Greg Berhalter out.

It felt like this was coming, this was inevitable.

I mean, that's just how these things go sometimes.

Change is necessary.

But Berhalter was just one piece of the puzzle.

There were still a lot of questions

that needed to be answered.

Christian, I know how much pride you take

in representing the country

and the fight tonight from you guys,

but where do you guys go from here?

All right, this is crazy,

but I'm gonna list for you your coaches,

so give me a second here.

Tuchel, Bosz, Stöger, Favre,

Lampard, Potter, Saltor.

Pioli, Fonseca, Conceição,

Klinsmann, Arena, Sarachan,

Berhalter, Hudson, Callahan.

Varas, Pochettino.

I mean, you haven't been playing that long.

How will you have that many coaches?

Makes me sound like I'm the problem.

Um...

I'll tell you when we're rolling,

the camera is in speed, just waiting...

Okay.

Yeah, you would think I had a--

had a, you know, 20-year career already,

but--

It's just the way-- it's the way it's gone.

I've been in clubs that,

um, you know, if things aren't going well at the highest level,

it's a cutthroat business.

Without any further ado,

I would like to officially welcome

Mauricio Pochettino

as the U.S. Men's Soccer head coach.

Of course, coaches can be on the tough end of it

because, you know, they're the ones

that can get sacked quickly.

And players, obviously that's not the case.

But I've enjoyed getting to know a lot of different coaches.

I've had a lot of great experiences,

a lot of difficult experiences, just like anyone would.

And, yeah, it's all part of it.

It's about to create something special.

That is the most important thing.

We are here because we want to win.

We are winners.

I'm excited.

I mean, how could you not?

Yeah.

We're talking a real deal manager

for the U.S. Men's National Team.

It's about damn time.

He's a coach that's managed

at the highest level in Europe.

Got to a Champions League final,

and he checks a lot of boxes, really.

And Kane has done it!

Mauricio Pochettino, just about

the only man in the stadium who's unmoved.

Pochettino comes into that locker room,

respect everyone.

You have to do what the manager says.

Enough is enough.

What the previous coaching staff did was amazing.

They worked really hard

to-- to provide the national team the best tools.

And I think for us now is to arrive

and to try to settle our ideas, our principle.

It's not to change the culture of the country,

it's not to change the culture of the player,

it's not to change the culture of the federation.

It's how we want our players to behave

on the pitch and off the pitch.

And everything, the situation...

It's so funny.

You hear different things from different people.

And players that did play with that coach,

they'll say he's the best coach ever.

Players that didn't play are, you know,

gonna have their opinions on him,

and it could be a tough transition.

I mean, I've gone through times

when new coaches comes in

and it feels like he doesn't even know who I am.

And then other times there's been new coaches,

and I feel like I'm the main guy.

So you kind of learn through it all,

and you just try to do the best you can.

Okay, Seth, vamos. Come on. Run it.

All right, here we go, guys.

Let's go. Let's go. Jog it out.

Goalkeeper...

Christian's perception of the game, probably,

and what it takes to compete is just gonna be different.

Than others on the team.

And I think the federation

and the team as a whole

is probably overdue for a bit of a culture change, you know?

And Pochettino is a notoriously intense manager.

Really fast, the last four, five steps,

really fast and turn.

I don't think that's a bad thing for the program right now.

The bare minimum for our team

has to be the level at which we compete.

I don't think that can be up for question.

And to have a manager like him, you know,

representing the U.S. now

and wanting to help grow the sport in America

is great for American fans

because they know that they can rely

on someone that has done it before with previous clubs.

I do think that they have the quality

to do better than what they're doing.

And I think that Pochettino

is gonna help them be more organized

and play more of an exciting style.

So I'm looking forward to see what happens.

- Already? - Yes

Yes. Okay. Come in. Please, come in.

You know, when U.S. Soccer announced

that they were making a coaching change,

everybody obviously was hoping,

are they going to bring in a big name,

someone to bring them to the next level?

Hey, we are USA.

We have a culture of to win and to be competitive.

And when we go Saturday or we go today

or we go tomorrow, we are going to compete like a team.

And six months after Pochettino took the job,

he had his first real test, the Nations League.

And the expectations were very high for Pochettino

because this tournament had only been around since 2021,

and the U.S. had won every single final.

Pulisic!

Pulisic!

It is a milestone moment

for this marquee generation of U.S. internationals.

Back to back Nations League trophies.

- And he goes-- Look! - Wow!

Tyler Adams on his first--

Gio Reyna!

The United States, champions of CONCACAF again.

You know, for us, it was really

the coming of age of this group.

You know, it became a mission for us.

You know, whether it was the first, second,

or third title, you know,

it became, you know, this is ours,

and we're not giving this thing up.

A trophy that has had

only one name etched into it,

and that is the United States.

Three straight CONCACAF titles.

So with the history of success

that the U.S. had had at this tournament,

this really felt like a great opportunity for Pochettino

to take the team to LA, hit the reset button,

and show the world what this team is made of.

Do you feel extra pressure

about winning this tournament

due to the other editions that you won?

You think you're the favorite ones?

Yeah, of course. We've won the last ones,

but honestly, we're just always focused on the next.

We treat it like we did the last.

We played against this Panama team a few times.

Obviously they beat us in Copa America.

They have a lot of ability,

A lot of strong players.

So we're excited for the challenge.

Of course, the other teams are gonna want to--

they're going to want to take it from us

and we're gonna do our best to prepare

and I think if we put on

good performance after good performance,

that's just gonna put U.S. in in the best spot

leading into the World Cup.

- Thanks, Christian. - Thank you.

Get in, loser.

Sorry.

Let's go to Christian's location,

Shall we?

Shall we?

Let's find this man before he goes to lunch.

You might want to buckle your seatbelt

before I get a ticket.

Like, how many you get in Italy?

Let's kidnap him.

- I hate you. - Ah, there he is.

What are you doing here, man?

- Hop in. - Hop in?

- Yeah. - I wasn't expecting company.

People running towards me over there.

- Look at that. - Hi!

- Shall we? - Hi.

- How we doing? - I'm good.

We're gonna go get lunch and real quick.

- You in? - I wish.

I had the busiest day in the history of the universe.

They put, like, these, like, neuro--

I don't understand it.

Like, sensors on you or something.

And then they make you take, like, a bunch of penalties

and they, like, try to, like, distract you and stuff

and then, like, find your point of, like, focus.

- Intense. - When to, like, shoot

or something. - That is crazy, dude.

I don't need any more thoughts in my head.

- Before a penalty. - I know!

I would be like--

I'd be like--

I'm just trying to put this ball in that net.

Like, there shouldn't be any other thoughts.

I got to go...

- All right, man. - See ya!

Run, run, run.

I love having the support of my friends and family

in these big moments.

But maybe sometimes it-- it feels like a bigger game

just because everyone's there.

- What's up? - What's up?

And, you know, there's so much buildup

and yeah, you get tickets for everyone.

He's hungry, too.

- He's hangry. - Yeah, he's hangry.

Maybe get him some In-N-Out burgers since he's here.

But, um, I-- I live for those moments.

You want the family?

How are you? Good?

I love putting on a good performance

in front of your family

and having everyone there after.

There's really nothing like that.

You know, your soccer family

is an extension of your own family.

And they've watched me grow up

just as my family has watched Christian grow.

And they support me, you know,

on and off the field in so many ways.

So, you know, obviously it means a lot

when you have support from-- from your friends and family.

Yeah, I always like call them my other sons,

'cause we've known them for 10 years plus now.

So they always, you know,

call me Mama P or Mama Pulisic.

It's just-- like they're-- they're like

part of our family now.

They've just been around for so long.

Bust out the baby picture, come on.

- Oh, baby pictures? - Come on, just--

Just-- come on.

I'll give you baby pictures.

- Just one. - Just one.

- Or two. - Here. In the background.

It is great watching all these guys and now,

you know, some of them that have their own children.

Running around everywhere.

He's still--

Just connecting like that

to the things that keep U.S. grounded,

those moments are truly some of the most important.

You know, there's obviously moments on the field, but,

um, to me, there's always more important things in life.

- ♪ Oh, when the Yanks ♪ - ♪ Oh, when the Yanks ♪

- ♪ Go marching in ♪ - ♪ Go marching in ♪

♪ Oh, when the Yanks go marching in ♪

- USA! - USA!

Going into the Nations League semifinal,

I think the mindset was clear.

You know, you have two games, a chance to win a trophy,

and we want to go and try to win again.

Because that feeling, you just kind of--

Yeah, you get addicted to it.

You wanna-- You wanna keep winning.

- ♪ We are the U.S. ♪ - ♪ We are the U.S. ♪

- Whoo! - ♪ U.S. ♪

♪ The mighty, mighty U.S. ♪

When the U.S. walked onto the field

for that semifinal against Panama,

their FIFA ranking was 16.

Panama's 33.

- ♪ We are the U.S. ♪ - ♪ The mother... USA ♪

♪ The mother... USA ♪

So there's every reason to believe

that the U.S. was gonna go out there

and take care of business.

With the World Cup on the horizon,

U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino

arrives at Sofi knowing that the stakes are high

with his team looking for a four-peat.

USA, one, two, three.

- USA! - Vamos.

You know, for me what was really bizarre

was just how empty the place was.

As a parent, you're in the stadium

and being empty,

it was very odd since obviously,

obviously all the games we go to in Europe,

you have packed stadiums.

Obviously seeing empty stadiums when we're playing,

especially at home, is a bummer.

I think it just kind of sucks the energy out of you.

You need the stands.

That's supposed to be your 12th player.

It just shows you we still have a ways to go

with soccer in this country.

Whenever you play at home,

you want to see stadiums that are fully packed.

But I think moving forward,

if you want to have the best chance

of selling out a stadium,

probably can't play in a 90,000 seat stadium

on a Thursday afternoon.

We are underway

with this Nations League semifinal.

It is the United States and it's Panama.

I mean, the U.S. owned that trophy for sure.

They won the last three editions,

but you're not guaranteed or given anything,

you know, so I know every time they play

any opponent, anything can happen.

And sure enough, that game,

they just struggled to find a rhythm.

It's been a bit

of a frustrating afternoon for Pulisic.

Not everything he's tried so far has come off.

I find when he comes to play in the U.S.

there is a spotlight on him, you know?

He's one of the most important players at his club in Europe.

He's also one of the most important players

for his national team.

And that weight never really dissipates.

There will be a minimum of five minutes added

at the end of the 90 minutes.

Neither team able to find that goal as yet.

It was an extremely difficult game.

I mean we dominated the--

We had the ball the whole game.

It was a typical one of those, you couldn't score.

Job still not yet done.

Carrasquilla...

And now Cecilio Waterman!

To me, eres mi ídolo.

Eres mi ídolo.

Panama looked to have found a winner!

Panama looked to our very own

Thierry Henry in both of the celebrations!

Panama look to have done it to the United States again.

The entire match...

Make one mistake and then, and then, boom.

There's the full time whistle.

For the first time, the United States

will not win the CONCACAF Nations League.

This is unacceptable.

This was a lackluster performance.

This is on the players,

and this is on Pochettino.

It's just pathetic.

It's frustrating.

I mean, they'll say, you know, "good job" when we win,

and if we lose, it's-- we're the worst ever.

So if you're not ready for the fight

and you're not ready for the aggression,

you're not gonna win this sort of games.

I-- I'm just-- I'm so sick of it.

They're so talented, they play at these great clubs.

I'm like, "Who cares, dude?"

You know who doesn't play at great clubs?

The Panamanian players.

It sucks. It sucks for sure.

Um, but I, I think we're doing everything we can

and I've truly done everything in my career

to try to help grow the sport.

I mean, you think about us

not getting out of the group of Copa America,

you think about us not even getting to the finals

of this competition now.

How are you building this fan base

to get behind this team?

- You look at the crowd-- - Are you yelling?

Oh, sorry. I'm mad.

I'm just frustrated because you wanna feel

like the team is moving in the right direction

and building for the World Cup on home soil,

because you never are gonna get get a bigger opportunity

than something like that.

Let's go.

You wanna show this jersey?

- Oh, yeah, yeah. - Tell me the story behind this.

So look, this is Christian's first goal jersey.

Is he gonna set it? Christian Pulisic!

The youngest American

in the modern era of the U.S. National Team to score a goal.

17 years of age,

On the score sheet...

Kansas City.

Look at that.

You know, when Christian and his teammates

flew into LA to play in this tournament,

I don't think any of them

or the people that came to support them

were thinking anything less than the final.

But now with the loss to Panama,

they found themselves in a very unfamiliar situation.

They were gonna be facing Canada

in the third place game.

Not exactly how anybody thought that this one was going to go.

Let's go. It's happening, it's happening...

- Ws. - It's happening.

- Only dubs. - Only dubs.

Let's do it. Let's go.

- It's happening. - Let's go.

I mean, obviously you're disappointed.

You're playing in a third place game.

You know, who wants to play in a third place game?

You know, so it's disappointing but...

of course they went in there to win.

It's never ideal to play in a third place game.

Of course, you want to be playing

for a championship and a trophy.

But at the end of the day,

I take that game a little bit personally because,

you know, Canada beat us

the past couple of times that we played them.

And for the people that are buying tickets

to show up and watch us play,

you still want to put on a display of some

level of quality.

You can't rest on your laurels.

You have to be prepared

and continue to develop and improve as a team

because everyone around you isn't standing still.

Christian Pulisic will wear the armband today.

Has a big job on his shoulders.

Mauricio Pochettino saying after the last match

that he felt that Christian

could have given a little bit more.

He said, "This is not the Christian we wanted to see.

"I think he can do much better.

In the overall, the team can do much better."

Low cross, a couple efforts, and oh, shame!

And Canada lead the United States by a goal to nil.

The action that Mauricio Pochettino was looking for

still yet to arrive in the form of a goal.

Diego Luna back for Agyemang!

And there's your response!

Diego Luna, the creator!

Might have been needed on Thursday,

but sets up the equalizer.

Let's go. Let's go, let's go.

Good defending.

The bounce doesn't go his way though.

Another tackle in from Weah.

This one clean.

Slipped through, David on the turn--

Jonathan David!

We've been the front runners for it

for the past three or four years

and some things that we were trying to work on,

some things we're trying to change,

and through that we're gonna have

a few difficulties and a few setbacks.

And obviously this time around,

you know, we had a different fate.

The full time whistle.

For the first time since 1985,

Canada have beaten the United States

in back-to-back meetings.

This CONCACAF Nations League has been a major setback

to the United States program as they finish fourth.

I mean, of course going out like that

is disappointing, but he has to continue to roll, you know?

He's got a lot of obligations,

but I know how important it is for him

playing with the U.S. team to wear that crest.

He takes a lot of pride

in being from the U.S. and being American.

And this is the stage where he always wants to perform.

He cares, you know, very deeply about this team

and this country and the fan base.

Today, captain of the team. How did that feel?

Talk to me about that responsibility.

I mean, uh, this--

Like, really this team is everything to me.

Uh, you know?

I care so much for...

for this team, for this country.

I hope people know that about me

and it's truly an honor.

So anytime I get to-- I get to do it and lead this country,

it means a lot to me.

All right, Christian, good luck the rest of the way.

Thanks, man.

So, you know, when things go poorly, I mean,

it affects him a lot.

I think...

people may not see--

You know, he sometimes keeps it close to his chest.

But, you know, the people around him and close to him, he's--

It really weighs on him, like, actually an insane amount.

It's not in your face!

Hi.

Hi.

You want me to put this away?

You know, I think every big player in any sport

goes through moments like this

where they're questioned by the fans, by the media,

maybe even by their teammates.

But you really can't assess a player's career

until it's all said and done.

And the moment that we're in right now,

this is Christian's, truly his first big test.

Because after the Copa America disappointment,

which was then followed by disastrous results

in Nations League,

the fans and U.S. Soccer and probably Pochettino himself,

had hope that the team would right

the ship in the Gold Cup,

which is a CONCACAF tournament made up of the U.S.

Mexico, Canada, and other smaller nations in the region.

It's a very winnable tournament for a U.S. team

that would include Christian Pulisic.

But if Christian was already the center of attention

and controversy, then his next decision

would elevate that to a whole other level.

Where-- Where you going? Where are you going?

You can't walk up to me with a tripod like.

Like, what--

What happened yesterday with the media?

Oh, my gosh. Oh, what a big story.

There's no story.

You know, living under a microscope

like Christian does,

it's much more challenging,

you know, I think maybe than people imagine.

But this is your opportunity

to explain it as it happened.

I mean, every decision he makes is scrutinized.

It's insane.

It's insane.

In U.S. soccer, the U.S. Men's National Team

will look to bounce back from disappointment

in the Nations League with this summer's Gold Cup,

but Christian Pulisic reportedly won't take part.

According to multiple reports,

Pulisic will take the summer to recover from a season

in which he'll likely hit 50 matches

for the second straight season.

My first reaction when I heard that

he wasn't coming to Gold Cup, I was a little bit surprised.

Um, only because of the way

things went in the Nations League.

Gold Cup, all of a sudden,

became a little bit more important.

I, personally, and I know this is probably

unpopular with-- and I know it is

with a bunch of my old teammates,

a bunch of guys that are pundits now.

I was okay with it, because at some point,

a guy needs a rest, right?

I did want to be a part of at least the two friendlies.

I did speak with the coaches, and I asked,

and I wanted to be a part of the team

in whatever capacity I could.

And they said no.

They said they only wanted one roster,

and that's coach's decision.

I fully respect that.

I didn't understand it, but it is what it is.

I wanted to be a part of that,

but, yeah, that's just the way things went

and I had to make the best decision

for myself and also, you know, in the long run for my team.

At the end of the day, you get a situation where

if America makes the Gold Cup final.

When the Gold Cup final ends.

Christian Pulisic hasn't had a holiday.

I mean, I paint the picture for you.

He comes back into a Milan situation

three weeks after pre-season has started

or a month after preseason has started,

and players playing directly in his position,

affecting his ability to be in a starting lineup or not,

may already have a month's training under their belt.

And then what?

It is a lot.

It's hard to keep up with playing every single game.

I mean, you see a ton of injuries,

but that's-- This is what it is.

This is, you know, how the business works.

People want to see us play.

And I think it's just a decision

that I had to come to,

to, uh, to do the best thing for myself

and look out for myself for once.

But I think everyone has,

you know, had their opinion on me and just--

You know, really, I mean, in my opinion,

just disrespected me in a lot of ways

and just completely forgotten about what I've--

what I've done for this national team for 10 years.

It's-- It sucks.

You don't pick and choose

which games you wanna play for the national team.

It's not a-- It's not an option.

You play for the national team or you don't.

The manager calls you up.

Do you accept? Do you not accept?

You think Messi gets to choose when and when he doesn't play?

Before it used to be country was before a club.

I'm seeing a shift right now

where the focus on so many of these players

is on club over country.

And sometimes the country

becomes a bit of an inconvenience.

And that sickens me,

sickens a lot of other people.

They're going about it the completely wrong way.

I've already spoken about how unlikable this team is.

What you don't want is the fan base

to think that the face of U.S. soccer is the most unlikable.

And that's where you're going down.

Christian Pulisic is going to be fine.

He's a big boy, all right?

He's going to take his licks right now.

He may hit back, I don't know.

And I think he's going to be there next summer.

And maybe in a strange way,

this puts the onus on Christian Pulisic

to-- to bring it because he's rested.

When you finally made the decision,

did you know you were gonna get a little bit of this?

And then-- and then how do you react to all of that stuff?

Because, quite honestly, these guys were

your teammates at one point.

I don't know, I guess it is--

it is tough because I, you know,

I looked up to those guys growing up.

Some of these guys were my idols,

and, you know, I respect them so much as players, and it's--

Does it hurt me? Am I surprised by it?

I don't know. Not really.

You know, of all things, you can talk about my performances,

whatever you want, but to question my commitment,

especially towards the national team,

in my opinion, that's way out of line.

This team lacked emotion, lacked intensity.

For me, there just wasn't enough bite,

enough sense of urgency.

If you need 70,000, 90,000 fans,

when you put on the U.S. Men's National Team jersey

to be inspired,

you don't deserve to be part of the national team.

I'd say the most annoying thing, and for me,

the biggest cop out of all time,

is when especially, you know, all pundits want to say,

you know, they didn't want it,

they didn't have the heart.

You know, back in our day,

we would fight and we would die on that field.

When we were on the field, there were guys on the field,

all over the field,

who, if they didn't perform well,

their club team probably lost.

But there's not a lot of guys who fall into that.

I think those guys are chasing checks.

And for me, I just feel like they're really evil, honestly,

because they've been players and they know what it's like

when you're getting bashed.

And those are the same guys that'll turn around

and shake your hand and try to be friendly with you

at the end of the day.

These guys want clicks.

Social media it's--

Subscribe to my channels,

listen to my podcasts or whatever.

Don't get me wrong, I respect all of them.

I mean, there were players that I looked up to,

but quite frankly, the guys before us

didn't win anything either.

I think they should look in the mirror

and look at their last performances

for the national team before they start talking shit.

That's why a lot of times, I'm gonna be honest,

I'd rather watch the game on mute.

You look at Christian.

Christian himself has had a better career

than every single one of the guys who speak negative on us.

It's jealousy. You know, people want to be in his shoes,

and they'll find any reason to bring him down.

But Christian doesn't give a shit what anyone says.

If you went and you read the media,

you'd probably think this was the end of the world.

But, like, in my head, I'm going back,

and I'm right back into it at my club.

I got other things I'm focusing on.

I want to win. I want to win in everything that I do.

It's a very unique time, I think,

in U.S. men's soccer history,

and in a lot of ways, very sad.

You have former players

criticizing current players,

the current players pushing back,

in some cases, very aggressively.

But not all, players, like Tyler Adams,

for example, were actually okay with the criticism.

I'm not one to go back and forth

about what's right and wrong about what people say

about players in the game,

but I think in that scenario,

when it comes to the national team,

people, pundits, fans, they're looking for very little.

It's to just represent the country

in the right way and compete.

There's a competitive element

that's missing with this team.

Do they even want to be out there?

They're not judging the level of play and

the quality that we have as individuals and players.

It's the competitive nature,

the heart, the bare minimum that you have to do.

You have to run, you have to compete, you have to tackle.

So I think it's fair criticism.

At the end of the day, yes, it would have been great

to have Christian Pulisic play with the U.S.

in the Gold Cup, of course.

Win!

But the truth of the matter is,

all that anybody will remember

is what happens the summer of 2026 at the World Cup.

Make it deep into the tournament,

they inspire an entire nation.

None of this matters.

It'll just be a small footnote

in the history of U.S. soccer.

However, if the U.S. go out and they underperform,

then things are gonna get very interesting

after the World Cup.

It's frustrating.

We haven't had as much success as we like.

I think we've had some really incredible moments.

Pulisic!

Oh, lovely hat trick!

What a night!

But we're out here fighting.

Christian Pulisic, with a decisive moment

against the old enemy in a World Cup qualifier.

I think if people knew what it actually meant to me

and what it meant to our team and all the players,

they would never question us.

Hey, we don't let up.

Come on...

- One, two, three... - USA!

Come after whatever you want, you know,

come after my performance, whatever you want to say.

but to talk about my commitment...

Pulisic!

Scores!

The commitment that I've given to this game,

that I've given to my national team,

you know, for 10 years...

But he paid the price!

That's the only thing that--

that starts to get on my nerves.

But to be honest,

it just fuels me to get back on the field

and just shut everyone up

and show everyone what I'm about

at the end of the day.

♪ It's all fun and it's all game ♪

♪ Goes to hell, no one's to blame ♪

♪ I think I've seen this happen once before ♪

♪ I don't want to see it anymore ♪

♪ When you think you've had enough ♪

♪ It goes no ♪

♪ When you think you've had enough ♪

♪ There comes another one ♪

♪ Stumbling up the steps and through the door ♪

♪ Don't think I could take too many more ♪