Tim Howard has one wish for Christian Pulisic.
“I hope for his sake he isn’t on social media for the foreseeable future,” Howard, the former US Men’s National Team (USMT) goalie said on his “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast with Pulisic being pilloried after he and the USMNT flopped in the World Cup Round of 16 against Belgium on Monday.
“He deserves a rest. Go on holiday. There’s a dark side to fame and celebrity.”
As the face of the red, white and blue, Pulisic has come under immense fire for his performance throughout the World Cup and particularly Monday night.
The 27-year-old tallied just one assists while battling a calf injury that sidelined him for a group stage Game, and then exited Monday’s 4-1 loss in the 59th minute after tweaking his ankle.
It takes a collective team effort to lose by three goals, and certainly goalie Matt Freese did his part with an embarrassing gaffe that gave Belgium a 3-1 lead in the second half, but star players are supposed to elevate their games and lead their team, and Pulisic has not done that in the World Cup.
Former women’s star Carli Lloyd said she was “disappointed” with his performance, while Howard’s co-host, fellow ex-USMNT star Landon Donovan, said Pulisic “is he who he is.”
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright called out Pulisic for having “begged” out of the game, and sports personality Colin Cowherd called him a “slight player” who’s “always been fragile.”
Those type of criticism are not being leveled against other USMNT stars.
Pulisic has also been criticized for leaving the game with an injury, with Donovan mentioning how he would have needed to be dragged off the field to exit early.
“To who much is given, much is required. He is the face of this team, he is undoubtedly it’s best player,” said Howard, who made three World Cup rosters. “And when that happens, you will receive all of the money and all of the acclaim, and you’ll receive all of the blame. That’s how it works.”
That Pulisic is the team’s best player and can’t elevate the team has raised questions about the USMNT’s ceiling with him leading the way.
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This is his third time on a national roster and the the USMNT failed to qualify in 2018 and has exited the World Cup in the Round of 16 in each of the last two editions.
Pulisic will be 31 the next time the World Cup rolls around and father time may begin to win the battle at that point, potentially further hampering his ability to lead the USMNT beyond the Round of 16.
“What I would say about him is when someone tells you or shows you who they are, you believe them. I think he’s a nice footballer. I still think he’s the best player on the team,” Howard said.
“Outside of that, you’d have to ask me very direct questions to which I could give you very direct answers, but ultimately he’s a nice footballer.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
