Christian Pulisic’s father, Mark, has continued the proud tradition of scrappy US soccer parents by firing back at Landon Donovan over perceived criticism of his son.
Christian Pulisic has chosen not to play for the US men’s national team at this summer’s Gold Cup after a long season with his club team, Milan. During Fox Sports’ coverage of the Uefa Nations League final between Portugal and Spain on Sunday, Donovan appeared to reference Pulisic’s withdrawal from the USMNT squad, although he did not mention the player by name.
Christian Pulisic’s dad Mark claps back at Landon Donovan for criticizing USMNT players for sitting out of the Gold Cup, referencing the sabbatical he took in his career.
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) June 9, 2025
Christian Pulisic also liked the post. pic.twitter.com/DfRF3ixsvl
[Cristiano Ronaldo]’s 40 years old,” said Donovan, who won 157 caps for the USMNT. “He’s played a long ass season. He’s tired. He’s out there grinding. Hurt himself in the process, and I can’t help but think about our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s pissing me off.”
On Sunday evening, Mark Pulisic posted to Instagram a ChatGPT answer detailing Donovan’s decision to take a sabbatical from soccer in 2013. Mark Pulisic added the comment: “This guy is talking about commitment. Look in the mirror + grow a pair and call names out, or are you afraid? Next time you want an interview, you will get rejected again.”
His son added a like to the post.
In May, Donovan addressed his own sabbatical in the context of Pulisic’s decision to sit out the Gold Cup.
“I understand very clearly what it’s like to need a break,” said Donovan, whose call then-US head coach Jürgen Klinsmann said contributed to the decision to cut Donovan from the 2014 World Cup team. “If there’s something serious going on in your life, in your family, mentally, whatever, I get it. I’m going to assume for the sake of this conversation that’s not going on. If they would actually come out and give reasons, it would help us, but none of them want to say anything publicly. I think it would help them publicly to say ‘this is why.’”
Pulisic enjoyed his best season in Europe in 2024-25, putting in standout performances for Milan, even as the club slumped to eighth place in Serie A. Pulisic’s decision to sit out the Gold Cup is unsurprising – he last played in the tournament, which is held every two years, in 2019. The Gold Cup is contested by Concacaf nations and occasional guest teams – Saudi Arabia will play in this year’s edition.
Mark Pulisic’s angry response to criticism of his son has echoes of a dispute involving Christian’s USMNT teammate Gio Reyna. In 2023, the Reyna family notified the US Soccer Federation of a decades-old incident involving then USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and his wife in response to Berhalter’s criticism of Reyna at a speaking event.
