"You guys are crazy." That's Kellyn Acosta's verdict on the growing chorus of voices questioning whether Christian Pulisic still belongs in the USMNT picture. And he's not saying it quietly.
Acosta, who earned his last cap for the U.S. in 2023, went to bat for Pulisic on the Vamos podcast after the 28-year-old was left out of Mauricio Pochettino's first post-World Cup roster. The squad featured 13 debutants — including Cavan Sullivan, Mathis Albert, and Julian Hall — and the USMNT promptly went 4-0-0 across friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. The next generation looked sharp. The knives for Pulisic came out sharper.
Acosta wasn't having it. "I think that's so harsh. So, so harsh. For a guy that's done so much for the national team, for people just to turn on him as quickly as they have... saying that you give up on your team is questioning his character and his love for his teammates, the game, and the national team."
What actually happened to Pulisic
The timeline matters here. Pulisic skipped the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup — a choice that lit the first match. Then his form dipped badly in the second half of the 2024-25 Serie A season, with Milan collapsing down the table and finishing outside the Champions League spots. He managed no goals after January.
At the home World Cup, he started promisingly against Paraguay before being substituted at halftime — arguably his best performance of the tournament. What followed was worse: injury limited him throughout, he failed to score, and he eventually suffered a bone bruise and lower leg microfracture. That kept him out of Milan's entire preseason.
So when Pochettino named his roster in September, Pulisic wasn't in it. That's not a snub — it's basic squad management around a player still working his way back to fitness.
Newly appointed Milan boss Ruben Amorim has been easing him back carefully, and on September 20, Pulisic scored his first goal of 2026 in a 3-0 win over Lecce. Two days before that roster announcement, for what it's worth.
The bigger picture for the USMNT
The enthusiasm around the new generation is earned. The performances in the September window were genuinely encouraging, and the depth coming through the U.S. system right now is the most promising it's been in years. But Acosta's Xbox analogy cuts through: "You get your first Xbox, right? You're super excited to play... the next thing comes, and you get rid of that."
That's the real danger — treating Pulisic as yesterday's model before the new ones have proven anything in competitive football. Friendlies against Peru and Canada are not the same as knockout pressure at a major tournament. Pulisic has been there. He knows what it costs.
- Pulisic scored his first 2026 goal on September 20 in a 3-0 Milan win over Lecce
- He missed Milan's first three matches of the season due to injury
- Pochettino's September roster included 13 debutants; the USMNT won all four friendlies
- Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and lower leg microfracture at the World Cup
Whether he forces his way back into contention depends entirely on what he does at Milan between now and the next window. Amorim seems to rate him. The goals need to follow. Right now, Pulisic is in the category of player whose odds of USMNT recall are tied directly to Serie A form — and that form is only just starting to return.
"It's just a dip in form, which happens to the best of the best," Acosta said. "And he's gonna find his way. No problem." Maybe. But the calendar doesn't wait, the young players aren't slowing down, and Pochettino has shown he's not sentimental.
