‘I Don’t Understand’—USMNT Legend Criticizes Christian Pulisic’s Absence From Gold Cup | OneFootball

Clint Dempsey is having trouble understanding Christian Pulisic’s decision to “step back” from the U.S. men’s national team ahead of the 2025 Gold Cup.

Pulisic made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he requested to not participate in the upcoming Gold Cup. After playing over 3,500 minutes this past season for AC Milan, the USMNT captain opted to prioritize rest and recovery over representing his country in the United States and Canada this summer.

While U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker backed the 26-year-old’s decision, stating that “this is the right moment for [Pulisic] to get the rest he needs” ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Dempsey had a hard time wrapping his head around Pulisic's priorities.

“I’m a big fan of Christian. I think what he’s been able to do for both club and country has been amazing,” Dempsey said on the latest Men in Blazers podcast episode. “And in terms of American players playing abroad, him and Antonee Robinson have been the most consistent and the top players in terms of flying that flag for us.”

Pulisic put together a career-best season at AC Milan in his second campaign in the Italian top-flight. The winger recorded 17 goals and 10 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions, and helped the Rossoneri win the Italian Super Cup.

“In terms of his situation, I can’t say what it is, I don’t know the ins and outs of it,” Dempsey continued. “But in terms of my situation, when I played in Europe and came back, there were times where I was tired. I had to get a PRP injection in my adductor. I had to maybe rest for some of the friendly games so that I could be fit to play in the tournaments.

“Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa [América], whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup. Like I wasn’t gonna miss competitions. That’s just the kind of guy that I always was. So for me, I don’t understand it because that wasn’t my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games,” Dempsey said.

Dempsey is regarded as one of the best USMNT players of all time. Along with Landon Donovan, he is the all-time joint top goalscorer for the United States with 57 goals. Dempsey helped the Stars and Stripes win three Gold Cups along the way, and also enjoyed an impressive career at Fulham in which he bagged the most Premier League goals (50) in club history.

The USMNT legend is now putting the pressure on the current generation of American superstars to show up for their country on the biggest of stages. The team has underwhelmed as of late, crashing out in the group stage at Copa América 2024 and in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League semifinals.

Without Pulisic to lead the team this summer, Mauricio Pochettino will have to rely on some new faces to get the USMNT back to winning ways.