Christian Pulisic Breaks Silence After Team USA's Devastating World Cup Loss

09 Jul 2026, 11:22 · The Fresno Bee

Team USA soccer star Christian Pulisic has spoken out after the squad's elimination from the 2026 World Cup tournament.

"Tough to find the words. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed," Pulisic, 27, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, July 9. "The support carried us all the way through. It simply wasn't good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more."

He continued, "I still feel blessed to be a part of this team. The memories this summer will last a lifetime. It's just the start for us and for this sport in America. 🇺🇸."

Team USA lost to Belgium 4-1 in their round of 16 soccer game earlier this week. Pulisic, specifically, had exited the match in the 59th minute amid an injury.

"I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play," Pulisic told reporters after the game, per ESPN. "I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It's just unfortunate way to finish."

He continued, "I felt really good this summer with the guys and I thought my level was high. Yeah, it's disappointing. I didn't quite have the moments I was hoping to and to try to help us to really push and get over this next step of beating a really good team. I'm disappointed with myself, of course, but I'm going to try to stay positive. I did a lot of good things and the team did as well."

While Pulisic left the game following ankle and leg injuries, the pro athlete still had hope that his teammates could have turned the game around.

"I trust in the guys no matter what and we believe to the end," he said in his press conference. "Yeah, it sucked this tournament with one earlier and then another injury now. It sucked. It was tough. It was difficult for me to deal with, but we have a great team and there's so many guys that stepped up this tournament that should be good. We were really positive coming into it and there's a lot of things to be proud of this summer for sure, but it's always tough to lose like we did today."

Following Team USA's loss, U.S. Men's Soccer issued a statement directly to fans.

"Dear America … Thank you for standing with us and for believing in this team," an X statement read. "Thank you for believing in the future of soccer in this country."

This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 4:22 AM.