Carli Lloyd doubles down on Christian Pulisic World Cup criticism: ‘Rest when your playing career is over’

It may be a while before Christian Pulisic escapes criticism from Carli Lloyd. 

After Pulisic exited the United States’ loss to Belgium on Monday in the 59th minute due to an ankle injury and said he now has “time to rest,” Lloyd took to X and sharply criticized him for the comment.

“You rest when your playing career is over. Period,” Lloyd wrote. 

Christian Pulisic reacts following the USMNT-Belgium game Monday. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

The former player and analyst’s tweet comes after she was also critical of Pulisic directly following the USMNT’s 4-1 loss Monday night, where he was unproductive for the majority of the match. 

“I gotta be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Pulisic,” Lloyd said on FOX after the Round of 16 loss. “I think whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game and really the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.” 

“It’s a bit of a downer for us being out here now after this loss, but I felt like they (USMNT’s big-time players like Pulisic) lost the game before they even stepped onto the pitch,” Lloyd added. “I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons, but just from the beginning, just chasing, tentative, scared, just not confident on the ball.” 

“And I think big-time players — you wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big moments.”

Fox Sports analyst Carli Lloyd poses. Fox Sports via Getty Images

The former striker’s opinion of Pulisic is also notable because she’s been in a similar spot to him before, serving as the captain of the United States women’s national team when it won the World Cup in 2015. 

It was a disappointing World Cup run overall for Pulisic, who also missed three games earlier in the tournament due to a calf injury.

The 27-year-old finished the World Cup with no goals and just one assist, and was a non-factor before his injury Monday. 

Lloyd wasn’t the only former player to slam Pulisic, as Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux posted on X that Pulisic “rested the entire World Cup.”