When Christian Pulisic left the pitch after suffering an injury in what would be the USMNT’s final World Cup match, there was plenty of criticism to be had. The face of the nation, the best player, coming off with time remaining and his country needing offensive help in a do-or-die contest? Unthinkable!
That criticism continued after a perceived nonchalant and uncaring interview following the game in which he admitted he got hurt, but would be able to heal for his next outings with AC Milan, his club. This rubbed everyone the wrong way, including plenty around the game and around U.S. Soccer.
Well, in the wake of the revelation that Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture in his leg, a.k.a. a legitimate, real injury, everyone may owe the USMNT forward an apology.
Christian Pulisic Didn’t Sub Himself Off in Knockout Game
Plenty of people on the internet swore that Christian Pulisic asked to be taken off the pitch with what they perceived to be a minor or perhaps nonexistent injury. After loading up to strike a shot from just outside the penalty box, Pulisic instead kicked right into the defender’s leg, though no foul was awarded.
He rolled around in pain for a little while before getting up to try limping around the pitch, but it wasn’t working. He was largely unable to run and couldn’t really contribute. It was as if the USMNT were playing a man down. Eventually, he was subbed off in what was, even at that point, clearly the dying embers of America’s World Cup run.
Then, the chatter began. Plenty of people took issue with his comments about being able to rest, essentially saying that since the USMNT was out, he could heal before he took the pitch again. Plenty of fans, media members, and US Soccer legends took aim at Pulisic, but as it turns out, he was actually injured, and it was a serious enough injury that he probably should’ve been subbed off immediately.
USWNT legend Carli Lloyd took aim at Pulisic on social media, saying players can rest when their careers are over. Even after the news, Lloyd isn’t backing down. “I don’t owe anyone an apology. My comment wasn’t about his post-game interview. He skipped Gold Cup last summer because he wanted to rest and be ready for WC. He ended up resting the whole year,” she posted.
USWNT star Sydney Leroux said that he had rested during the entire World Cup. Former men’s star Landon Donovan speculated, though he admitted that he didn’t know if it was true or not, that Pulisic asked the bench to bring in a substitute for him.
He also said, “The reality is, he came out of a World Cup knockout game at home, with his leg still intact. Because you would have had to f*****g drag me off the field. And I would have punched the doctor in the face and said, ‘You’re not taking me off the field. Put whatever you need to put in me, and I’m staying on the field.’”
As unrealistic as that is (and given what we all saw during Donovan’s playing career, a little bit unfair), Pulisic is not helping the team come back from two goals down to a far superior (on the day) opponent with a fractured leg.
He can fairly be criticized for poor play. There were moments when he was on the pitch that he looked the part of the USMNT’s best player, but he also struggled mightily at times. Against Belgium, he was one of 10 starters who looked totally lost out there, but if someone wanted to criticize him for his rough outing at the World Cup, that’s totally fair.
But to criticize him for leaving a game that, by the way, was already totally over after goalkeeper Matt Freese essentially scored on himself, with a fractured leg is just totally silly. Criticize him for not being able to stay healthy, even, but don’t try to victory lap after he suffered a legitimate injury and had to leave what was already a lost outing.
