ไทย
English
中國人
Former USMNT striker Landon Donovan has urged Christian Pulisic to turn his underwhelming World Cup performance into a career-defining moment, cautioning that people have grown "fed up" with the atmosphere surrounding the player.
Pulisic, who has been the USMNT's key figure for nearly a decade, went scoreless across four injury-plagued appearances at this summer's World Cup and has faced heavy scrutiny following his team's 4–1 loss to Belgium.
The circumstances resonated with Donovan, who similarly struggled to meet lofty expectations at the 2006 World Cup, and he offered the AC Milan winger guidance on the path forward.
"I believe I am uniquely positioned, perhaps the only person who has truly walked in his shoes," Donovan told Unfiltered Soccer. "The scale of what he's dealing with is far greater than what I faced because this was 2006 for me — not many people were watching, it wasn't a home World Cup, social media didn't exist, so everything is amplified enormously for him.
"I've been where he is. I had a terrible World Cup, I let the team down completely, and faced criticism for the first time — though not to the degree he is now. I know that feeling intimately, and I would simply say this: It pushed me toward therapy, it made me genuinely examine my life and career for the first time. It opened the door to meaningful conversations with people I love about everything, not just soccer, and it transformed my life in a profoundly positive way.
"I don't know if Christian is open to that, or wants to go down that road ... we don't have a strong relationship right now. I'm sure he's not fond of me or doesn't respect me. I'm speaking directly to you, Christian. You probably won't hear this, but this is a chance to grow and change your life for the better."
Donovan: Pulisic Needs a Reset
As Donovan noted, his relationship with Pulisic is strained at best. His criticism of the winger's decision to sit out the USMNT's Gold Cup campaign created a rift between arguably the two most prominent figures in the history of American soccer.
"This is a moment of accountability," Donovan added. "He took time away from the Gold Cup so he could be prepared for this season — fit, healthy, and performing at his best. The reality is, he's only scored one goal since December. He hasn't performed well for the national team, and hasn't performed well for Milan either."
While not holding back in his critique of the current USMNT winger, Donovan was careful to note that some of Pulisic's most significant problems are not entirely of his own making.
"One of the biggest issues ... I talk to people inside U.S. Soccer, I talk to his sponsors, his teammates, the staff and coaches," Donovan explained. "People are exhausted by the way things are managed around him — and it's not necessarily him, but his agents, his family, his entourage, the people influencing his decisions ... people are fed up with it.
"They treat people badly, they handle things poorly, it's always a 'no' when you try to request an interview. You can't get close to him. He doesn't acknowledge the commentators who cover every game when they walk past. All the other players come over, shake hands, say hello. There's just this sense that he's completely inaccessible.
WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZES
"I genuinely don't think that comes from him. I think it stems from the people around him. They need to stop, and he needs to step up and have a direct conversation with them — 'look, guys, this is not doing me any favors.'
"He needs media training. I needed it too. I said a lot of stupid things and people told me, 'hey, Landon, you don't want to come across that way.' And I still slip up all the time.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
"All of this can be turned into something positive. He has — I have to say — a significant challenge ahead. I'm already thinking about the next game. If we happen to be at the next U.S. match on home soil, what do you think that atmosphere will be like? Think about it. Will he get booed when his name is announced? Possibly — people are furious.
"The long and short of it is, this can be a defining moment in his life. A lot of things need to change, and I genuinely believe it's not him — it's the people around him."