Christian Pulisic, Landon Donovan controversy explained: USMNT stars feuding after Pulisic skips Gold Cup

While the US national team continues their final preparations for the Concacaf Gold Cup, the attention is firm with one player who is currently not with the group – Christian Pulisic.

The attacking star was omitted this month from the schedule of the USMNT for their pre-Gold Cup-friendly competitions and also missed the actual team for this summer’s tournament, a decision that Pulisic made in combination with USMNT staff with his workload in mind. The AC Milan talent played 57 games for Club and Country during the 2024-25 season and asked for free time to recover from that workload, with this summer his last chance to calibrate again for the next season with his club and the 2026 World Cup.

Although most had accepted the decision in the weeks since it was announced, the retired USMNT star Landon Donovan aimed his problems with Pulisic’s choice at the weekend, a feud between Donovan and Pulisic’s father, Mark. The days since then many have seen in the American football landscape to social media to give their thoughts that have lingered in the American team while they entered the last year before they served as one of the host countries at the World Cup.

Here is an explanation of the Kerfuffle with Donovan and Pulisic.

Christian Pulisic chooses from Gold Cup

The exclusion of Pulisic from this summer’s competition was announced on May 22, when the USMNT schedule for this month against Turkiye and Switzerland became public. The star was one of the many USMNT players who did not cut for various reasons, everything – Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Gio Reyna are connected to the FIFA Club World Cup, while Antonee Robinson underwent small knee operation and Yunus Musah was excluded for personal reasons, as He is now approaching a move to Napoli.

The American football director Matt Crocker explained the exclusion of Pulisic that day and described it as a decision of the player and the staff together and with his workload in mind. Pulisic has played 100 games with AC Milan in the last two seasons and registers more than 7,000 minutes on the field – and that is only for his club. He has 14 extra competitions for the national team in 2024 and 2025, including the Copa America -Run last summer that ended in the group stage.

“Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of taking a step back this summer, given the number of matches he played at both club and international level in the last two years with very little break,” said Crocker in a statement. “After well -considered discussions and careful consideration, we have made the collective decision that this is the right time to get the rest he needs. The goal is to ensure that he is fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.”

Pochettino echoed that sentiment during a recent press conference, indicating that Pulisic has the full support of the national team staff with the World Cup just a year away.

“We all had a conversation between each other, and I think the best decision in this case is what will happen, [which] Is to rest, “said Pochettino.” Many people can say that it is really important for us to be all together for the last for the World Cup, but as a coaching staff we always listen to the player and of course we make the decision. We have our own ideas about everything. But I think that after the consideration about Christian, we decided the best for him, the best for the national team is the decision we have made. “

Landon Donovan: ‘It makes me angry’

On 8 June Donovan Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo compared to various USMNT players during FOX Sports’ broadcast of the UEFA Nations League final. Although he did not call anyone by name, many interpreted Donovan’s comments as a sentiment aimed at Pulisic specifically.

“This is what it means to represent your country,” said Donovan. “This is what it means. And if you don’t want to take this as a professional football player, if someone who gets the chance to wear that sweater and take it seriously and responsible, don’t come in. This is what it means. [Ronaldo’s] 40 years old. He played a long seasonal season. He is tired. He is outside of that. Hurting themselves in the process, and I can’t help it, but think of some of our boys on vacation, don’t want to play in the Gold Cup. It makes me angry. “

Pulisic’s father takes to Instagram

Shortly after Donovan made his comments, Pulisic’s father Mark shared his own response on Instagram. The older Pulisic placed a screenshot of chatgpt and asked the chatbot why Donovan took a Sabbatical from 2012 to 2013. The chatbot replied: “Landon Donovan took his Sabbatical because he had felt both physically and mentally after years of intensive competition and the need for the game of intensive competition.

Mark Pulisic expanded himself in the caption to his post and writes: “This man is talking about dedication. Look in the Mirror + breeding a few and call names, or are you scared? The next time you want an interview, you will be rejected again.”

Christian Pulisic liked the post and on Tuesday he posted a photo of himself on social media who relaxed with his loved ones and write: “Exactly what the Dr. ordered.”

The American football community calls in

Donovan’s remark has since become a lightning rod in the American football community, with many remarkable figures that offer them two cents – and not exactly take the retired star of the star. Eddie Johnson, Donovan’s teammate at the 2006 World Cup, was particularly critical in an Instagram mark.

“We cannot question this man’s love for representing his country,” said Johnson. “If you know CP, the child wants to play every chance he can play … CP has more wear on his body at a younger age … A career in MLS cannot compare with the workload and traveling of a player whose entire career was in Europe and has to travel from abroad to the United States for friends and qualifications. You just can’t compare …”

Clint Dempsey, who spent a large part of his career in Europe, spoke about the experiences of Vliegen about the Atlantic Ocean to represent the national team in an episode of his podcast, The Deuce.

“In terms of [Pulisic’s] Situation, I can’t say what it is, I don’t know the ins and outs of it, “Dempsey said.” But in terms of my situation, when I played and returned to Europe, there were times when I was tired. I had to get a PRP injection in my adductor. I might have to rest for some friendly games, so I could be fit to play in the tournaments. Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa [America]Whether it was the Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup. Like, I would not miss competitions. That’s just the kind of man I was always. So for me I don’t understand because that wasn’t my mentality. I’ve always wanted to play in those games. “

He also seemed to criticize Donovan to take a sabbatical more than ten years ago.

“The analogy that I use is that you have the chance to plant the crops, harvest the crops, and then you sit at the table, it’s time to eat, and you show up when it’s time to eat. It is a bit like:” Where were you grinding in the sun, that stuff outside, the road games, your back to the wall? “I don’t know what he had to do with and what he experienced, that’s the hardest part, but to build the trust of your teammates and so, you have to go through the wars with them, the fighting with them. You have to look with you. So I can’t say what their situations were, but that’s how I looked at it.”

Pulisic’s teammates speak

It is not only the retired talents of the USMNT who have responded to Donovan’s comments. The Pulisic teammates were behind him this week and talk about their shared experiences during a rocky period for the national team.

“None of us naturally assumes that we can represent a national team because it is one of the biggest awards we can have in football,” said Weston McKennie in An interview with USA Today. “Every chance we get, we want to play. But of course, if you don’t feel that your body is in the right condition and you don’t feel that your body is in the best shape or shape or whatever, to be able to do that at 100%, and you feel that your injury risks your injury, then it is better to let someone else go 100%.”

In the meantime, Tyler Adams labeled the comments as “noise” while he and the other players at the Gold Cup -Roster are preparing for the upcoming competition.

“We’re not talking about that when a group,” said Adams in An interview with the Associated Press. “The sound on the outside is the sound on the outside. I think we should concentrate on what we should do as a group and continue to build.”