Pulisic Shocks Soccer World by Excluding USMNT Legends Dempsey, Howard, and Donovan from Dream Team

Christian Pulisic revealed his ideal U.S. men's national team five-a-side lineup and surprisingly excluded Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Tim Howard, choosing instead to focus on "more contemporary" American players.

The AC Milan forward had engaged in subtle disagreements with USMNT legends over time until this past summer, when he faced harsh criticism for missing the Gold Cup. Questions arose about Pulisic's dedication to the national team, leading to sharp and defensive reactions from both the 27-year-old and his father.

Several months following that war of words, Pulisic was tasked with assembling his ideal USMNT five-a-side squad by Kate Scott during an exclusive Paramount+ interview.

The USMNT skipper quickly named Brad Guzan as goalkeeper, then selected Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, himself, and Oguchi Onyewu.

Pulisic conspicuously omitted Dempsey, Donovan, and Howard, who are generally regarded as the three greatest players in USMNT history. However, the attacker prefaced his selections by explaining, "I'm just going to go more recent, because they're my guys."

Nevertheless, Scott pointed out the obvious omissions, prompting Pulisic to respond, "I had to do it on the spot. There's a lot of good names out there."

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Beyond selecting McKennie and Adams for his five-a-side squad, Pulisic also spoke about the current USMNT roster overall, emphasizing the extensive talent representing the Stars and Stripes.

"Earlier in my career, joining the national team, I carried this [burden] of, 'Oh, this new player is competing in Europe and now he's on the national team and—at least this is what I believed in my mind, which in hindsight seems foolish—I'm supposed to find the net. I need to secure victories for the squad,'" Pulisic explained.

"But now I've reached a point, particularly with the other elite players who are competing globally for major clubs... I'm not the sole person who will be capable of influencing matches with this national team anymore, so I'm truly thankful for that."

Certainly, the Stars and Stripes boast abundant talent competing in Europe's premier five leagues. From Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson to Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah, Mauricio Pochettino possesses the skill he requires to make an impact at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place primarily on American territory for the first time since 1994.