There may be awkwardness behind the scenes, but Pulisic is involved again, which means the U.S. can finally focus on soccer
Finally, someone made the correct decision.
It has taken nearly three months, a bombshell podcast, countless social media posts, a chorus of criticism from former national team players, calculated clap-backs from a documentary series and a thorough inquiry into the psyche of American soccer, but finally, irrefutably, definitely, the USMNT have put the pieces in place to move on.
Christian Pulisic is back. This drama should now end.
And the prevailing sense is one of relief. There was speculation in some corners that Pulisic might not be involved for the USMNT's September friendlies, if only because manager Mauricio Pochettino – famously "not a mannequin" – might want to send a message. Some suggested that Pulisic could continue to sit out, a manager flexing his boss muscle, showing the world that he is not to be messed with.
Yet, after skipping the Gold Cup and creating seemingly endless distractions for the USMNT, Pulisic is on the roster for friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Pochettino, for his part, batted away questions on the topic, saying on Tuesday, "Now we need to look forward."
There may yet be awkwardness behind the scenes, or criticism in the media. High performance podcast bros and USMNT "legends" still have airtime to eat up, after all. But with every second that passes, every single comment becomes less important. Pulisic is involved again, which means that the U.S. can finally focus on the soccer.
And after an exhausting summer in which no one really learned anything, that's an enormous relief.
Getty Images SportFrozen out
It's worth revisiting how we all got here. No, this doesn't have to be some horrific psychodrama. There is no need to open up old wounds, or pick apart things that really should have already been settled. But perspective is important. And what Pochettino has done here is a masterclass in man management.
Pulisic, remember, made it clear that he had absolutely zero intention of playing in the Gold Cup. His legs were too tired. It had been a long season. Milan had underperformed, he had dealt with a couple of knocks, and being Christian Pulisic is probably pretty hard. He is the star player, and as the star player he decided he was too big for a not-that-important tournament (seriously guys, we all got psyched up about a Guatemala semi-final – some perspective wouldn't kill us).
But, crucially, Pulisic pointed out that he offered to play in the two friendlies prior to the tournament – tricky matchups against Turkey and Switzerland. Pochettino said no. The USMNT, outlined by Pulisic's omission, would only be taking one squad for the friendlies and the Gold Cup. Players cannot select whether they fancy it or not. It is up to the manager – not his star player – which games matter, and which don't.
The U.S. would go on to lose the friendlies and win five straight in the Gold Cup, only to fall to a far better Mexico side in the final. If soccer was played in a vacuum, on a totally even field, it would seem like a summer where, in a competitive sense, everything shook out as it should.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe internet explodes
But of course that's all a bit boring. This is a reactionary world full of opinions (oops), takes and social media provocateurs. And the USMNT sphere really does not do well at keeping its collective mouth shut. What happened was a mud-slinging match of sorts, an Internet band-for-band full of opinions and counterpoints. Landon Donovan and Tim Howard said that Pulisic was letting his country down. Clint Dempsey said he would have never have refused to play for the USMNT, regardless of the opposition.
Alexi Lalas, somehow, was the reasonable one in all of this, saying that Pulisic was a "big boy" who can make his own decisions – even if that meant taking a few punches from the legends.
He was right. Pulisic probably should have shut up. But where's the fun in that? Instead, Pulisic did the 2025 high-performance bro thing and got on a podcast. He answered some softball questions from Charlie Davies, Tony Meola and Jimmy Conrad, and was then, effectively, given a space to air his grievances.
Among them, he said, was the mixed messaging from Howard and Dempsey. He felt that questioning his commitment was "way out of line," which seems admittedly silly until you realize that Pulisic made a conscious decision to not play for his country, and therefore – once again, with reluctant credit to Lalas – opened himself up to all of the criticism in the world.
Pulisic's dad then, somehow, got involved. Everyone else weighed in. Pulisic put out a bit of documentary footage talking about just how hard his life is when there's so much scrutiny over his performance. That only led to more vitriol. By Tuesday morning, and the expected roster release, there was real tension about this whole thing.
Getty ImagesPochettino, and the art of playing it cool
In truth, only one man has the power to fix all of this: Pochettino. He is, ultimately, the decision maker here. Sure, Pulisic made it clear that he didn't fancy playing a few football matches. Pochettino was the guy who decided he wouldn't play two others. Pulisic will, in all likelihood, outlast the Argentine's USMNT tenure.
He is the steward of the program. Pulisic is his star.
And Pochettino handled this all beautifully. There were no leaks, public speculations, or tips of the hand. The U.S. roster was released, and Pulisic was on it. At a news conference on Tuesday, Pochettino took the big question in stride – answering it in sparklingly clear terms.
Question: "Have you talked to Christian Pulisic since the summer?"
Answer: "No, we didn't talk. I think there is nothing to talk about. I think it's behind us, what happened in the summer, and I think now we need to look forward."
And in fairness, what could Pochettino have said to him? Sorry man? Hope you're having a good summer? How's your golf swing? The public is not party to the conversations that happen – or don't happen – in the background. Pochettino, taken at his word, did the exact right thing. Pulisic took a few months, and is immediately back in the picture for Milan. The world keeps turning.
Getty Images SportThe benefits of having him back
And of course this is a good thing. It is important to remember, among all of this, that Pulisic is a very good – if not world-class – soccer player. He is a Champions League winner and star player for Milan, one of the biggest clubs in the game. He has provided a multitude of big moments for the U.S., crucial goals at World Cups, and last-minute penalties to down Mexico. Zoom out, and think about Pulisic the attacking presence, and it becomes clear that America does have something unique here.
They are nowhere near as good without him as they are with him. International soccer is different from the club game, typically relying on sound structures complemented by star power. Pochettino is still tinkering with his structure – which isn't great 10 months from a World Cup, to be honest – but in Pulisic, he has an irrefutable star who can change any game, against any team.
In the short term, then, this shuts up the haters. Donovan, Howard, Dempsey, Lalas – take your pick – now have less to rant about. Funnily enough, it's sometimes harder to talk about guys who are playing, because that requires actual measured analysis, something that the USMNT legends seem remarkably unwilling to do.
You'd also think that the U.S. are better positioned to beat Japan and South Korea in their upcoming friendlies. Good players make teams better. Sometimes it's that simple.
