Rest when your playing career is over

Former USWNT star Carli Lloyd has hit out at USMNT star Christian Pulisic for his comments after the USA were eliminated from the FIFA World Cup. The hosts were handed a 4-1 thrashing in the Round of 16 by Belgium, sending them crashing out of the tournament on home soil.

Pulisic stated that he would be able to get rest for his injured ankle after the defeat against Belgium. The forward’s comment was met by a sharp response from Lloyd, who advised him to rest only when his career as a player is over.

“You rest when your playing career is over. Period”, she commented.

Christian Pulisic struggled with fitness-related issues throughout the tournament, causing him to play a much smaller role than was envisaged. The 27-year-old AC Milan man failed to complete 90 minutes in any of his four appearances in the FIFA World Cup due to injuries.

Pulisic picked up a calf injury after playing only the first half of the opener for the USMNT against Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettino had to do without him for the second game against Australia before he made a substitute appearance in the final group game, a defeat to Türkiye.

Pochettino took the former Chelsea man off after 88 minutes of the Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was forced to take him off in the game against Belgium in the Round of 16 with the USA trailing 3-1, as he had taken a hard knock to the ankle and suffered an injury.

USA failed to live up to expectations in the tournament from their citizenry and fans, leading to blame being apportioned to the players. The AC Milan star, being the most high-profile player in their squad, has come in for a significant amount of blame for his country’s performance.

Christian Pulisic sustained fracture as USA were eliminated from FIFA World Cup

USA star Christian Pulisic suffered a microfracture and bone bruise in his right leg during the FIFA World Cup match against Belgium. The 27-year-old lasted just 59 minutes in the game before he was forced off, with Sebastian Berhalter taking his place on the pitch.

He sustained the injury after just seven minutes of the second half, as he struck the back of Youri Tielemans‘ leg attempting to take a shot. He tried to play through the pain but was not moving very well, and the coach decided to take him off with the scores at 3-1.

The official results of an MRI showed that his tibia/fibula were impacted and he will spend several weeks on the sidelines. He will likely miss the start of the season with AC Milan after his FIFA World Cup disappointment.