After building up enthusiasm and putting in some good performances, confidence in the United States was sky-high ahead of what would have been a historic passage to the World Cup quarter-finals. However, they found themselves up against a Belgium side that was far more experienced and was also further motivated by the story surrounding the suspension of Balogun’s ban being overturned. The result: Belgian dominance and the elimination of the United States. Many of the American players, especially the key ones, were accused of failing to step up when it mattered most in the tournament. Among them, the one who has come under the most fire is Christian Pulisic, the team’s number 10 and star player.
A very harsh criticism came from ESPN, which, through the writing of Ryan O’Hanlon, launched a direct attack on Pulisic. These are the words used by the American outlet:
"Pulisic needs to delete social media and probably unplug his internet for the rest of the summer. There are two interconnected reasons he plays for AC Milan and not a Champions League contender: He's inconsistent, and he's frequently injured."
