Donovan says USMNT fed up with Pulisic camp after Belgium loss

Landon Donovan sharpened the public split around Christian Pulisic on Fox Sports, saying people inside U.S. Soccer were frustrated with the way Pulisic’s camp operates and that USMNT players, staff and sponsors were “fed up” with the narrative built around the team’s most prominent star. The remarks came after the United States was beaten 4-1 by Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16, a loss that sent the Americans out of the tournament on Monday, July 6.

Pulisic left the match in the 59th minute with a right ankle injury, and ESPN reported that he twisted his ankle and knee in a collision with Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans. Sebastian Berhalter came on in his place. Afterward, Pulisic told reporters he was “disappointed in myself,” then posted on Instagram on Wednesday, July 8, saying the team “simply wasn’t good enough” and that the tournament would “last a lifetime.”

The backlash has spread beyond Donovan. Carli Lloyd criticized Pulisic’s post-match comments, while Tim Howard also took aim at his performance and his early exit but still expressed empathy for the injuries and pressure surrounding him. The debate has turned into a broader argument about how much insulation a U.S. Soccer star should receive when the results collapse on the biggest stage.

It is not the first time Donovan and Pulisic have clashed. In June 2025, Pulisic and U.S. Soccer agreed that he would sit out that summer’s Gold Cup so he could get the rest he needed, a decision that already fed tension around his standing inside the program. That history now gives Donovan’s latest criticism added weight, because the dispute is no longer limited to one tournament loss or one postgame interview.

Pulisic entered the World Cup as the face of the program, but the combination of injury, a scoreless run and a 4-1 elimination has left him under sharper scrutiny than ever. The argument around him now reaches beyond one player and into the hierarchy, messaging and sponsor pressure that surround U.S. Soccer when the national team can least afford fracture.