Christian Pulisic defended by USMNT teammate after skipping Gold Cup: Here’s what he said

It’s been almost two months since the controversy erupted around the USMNT when Christian Pulisic was absent from the Gold Cup — a tournament in which the United States reached the final but ultimately fell to Mexico.

That experience gave head coach Mauricio Pochettino the chance to test new players who had previously seen limited opportunities, whether due to injuries or other reasons keeping them out of prior call-ups.

One of those players was Tyler Adams, a locker room leader for the USMNT, who recently shared his perspective in an interview with The Athletic. Adams made it clear that he respected Pulisic’s choice.

“It’s a topic everyone wants to give their opinion on, of course, but what Christian did is what he needed to do for himself. He doesn’t have to earn anyone’s respect in this group. Everyone knows who Christian is as a person and how good he is as a player. But we all need time at certain moments in our careers or our lives to just say, ‘Let me take a step back, focus on myself for a second, and then move forward,’” Adams explained.

No rift within the USMNT

Adams reiterated that Pulisic’s absence was never viewed inside the team as a reason for disruption or controversy. He emphasized that the entire squad stood behind the “Captain America” and believed his decision was the right one — especially with the World Cup on the horizon.

“I talk to Christian constantly. We obviously have a close relationship. I know that this summer, even though he stepped away for a bit, he didn’t anticipate such a big reaction. But once again, people want to speak badly about him because it creates news and noise around the team. That’s how big he is as a player and how important he is,” said Adams.

A decision for the long term

Adams finished by praising Pulisic both as a person and as a player, underlining his leadership role within the USMNT.

“Everyone on the team knows how important he is and how incredible he is as a person. I don’t have words to describe how good he is. He’s one of our team’s leaders. The decision he made was the best for him and will help him in the long run,” Adams concluded.