Christian Pulisic is hurt, and Carli Lloyd is not backing down.
On Thursday, reports confirmed that the USMNT star has a bone bruise and microfracture in his right tibia/fibula. He is expected to miss several weeks but should be ready for the start of the Serie A season with AC Milan. The injury news, however, reopened an old wound for some fans who called for Lloyd to apologize for blasting Pulisic after the World Cup.
Lloyd refused. Stubbornly, publicly, and without hesitation.
“I don’t owe anyone an apology,” the two-time Women’s World Cup winner said. “My comment wasn’t about his post-game interview. He skipped Gold Cup last summer because he wanted to rest and be ready for WC. He ended up resting the whole year. That’s the facts. Nothing personal against him.”
To back up a bit: After the USMNT got bounced 4-1 by Belgium in the Round of 16, Lloyd went after Pulisic’s performance across the tournament. She didn’t hold back, saying he looked nothing like the player who torches defenders in the Premier League for Chelsea or that people expect him to be. And honestly, the numbers back her up. Pulisic finished the World Cup with exactly one assist. Zero goals. The guy known for being unguardable on the dribble barely looked shifty at times.
Now, the injury explains some of that. Maybe. But Lloyd’s point is about the lead-up, not just the games. She’s saying he chose rest over competitive minutes in the Gold Cup, prepared for months, and still didn’t deliver when it counted. It’s a fair critique, even if it stings.
The tricky part is that athletes get hurt. Bone bruises happen. Microfractures are no joke. But Lloyd’s not attacking his character. She’s attacking the preparation versus the result. And she didn’t budge when people piled on her timeline demanding an apology after the injury revelation.
For Pulisic, the clock is ticking. He’s 27 now. By the time the next World Cup rolls around in 2030, he’ll be 31, which is still prime age for a winger if his body holds up. But the USMNT needs him to be the guy in big moments, not a guy who looks like he’s playing through mud. This injury recovery, and how he comes back for AC Milan, matters a lot more than one online fight with a U.S. legend.
Lloyd said her piece. She’s not sorry. And honestly, she doesn’t have to be.
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