Captain America has submitted his report on the United States' performance in the 2026 World Cup.
Christian Pulisic posted on Instagram on Wednesday, July 8 to comment on the team's round of 16 exit via a 4-1 beatdown by Belgium.
"Tough to find the words," he said in the caption of a photo of himself in a USMNT uniform on the pitch with a ball at his feet. "I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed. The support carried us all the way through."
Pulisic then took accountability for the USA being knocked out of the tournament earlier than many expected.
"It simply wasn’t good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more," the forward continued before ending on a positive note, with an American flag emoji. "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."
Pulisic was injured in the opening win against Paraguay when someone kicked him in the calf. He was substituted out of the match at halftime and missed the following group play match against Australia. He returned to the pitch off the bench for the group play finale against Turkey and was back in the starting lineups for the round of 32 and round of 16 matches.
The 27-year-old had an assist in the opener, which gives him 21 total. He is fourth on the USMNT all-time assist list. He did not score a goal in this tournament.
Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan, made his debut for the United States at 17 years old in 2016. He scored a goal in group play in the 2022 World Cup, where the USMNT was also knocked out in the round of 16.
Expectations were high for the United States in 2026, especially since it was a host nation for the tournament. The Americans won their group for the first time since 2010 and their round of 32 win was their first knockout victory since 2002. Folarin Balogun was their leading scorer with three goals. He received a controversial red card in the round of 32 match. FIFA overturned the penalty, which allowed him to play in the loss against Belgium.
Despite not making it deeper, this World Cup put the USMNT on the largest platform yet. The overall World Cup attendance record was broken in group play with 3.6 million people attending matches. FOX reported that 30 million people tuned in to its English broadcast of the loss to Belgium, a new record for most-watched telecast of a soccer match in U.S. history.
Source: USA Today
