"Some men are born great. Some men achieve greatness. And some men have greatness thrust upon them. But, apparently, none of those men are named Christian Pulisic." That's veteran ad copywriter Ernest Lupinacci — and it's about as clean a summary of the 2026 World Cup as you'll find.
The problem wasn't just that Pulisic went goalless as the USA crashed out with a 4-1 humiliation against Belgium. It's that the marketing machine kept rolling anyway. While the post-match recriminations were still fresh, American TV screens were filled with Pulisic sharing a Michelob Ultra with Messi, dribbling for Visa, and — in what became the most uncomfortable 30 seconds in recent advertising — talking about creating a "legacy" where people say, "This guy changed American soccer."
The Degree deodorant spot didn't age well. As one sports TV producer put it on X: "BAD timing for the Degree commercial where Pulisic says he wants to change American soccer."
A $20 million brand with a performance problem
Pulisic pulls in an estimated $20 million a year from Puma, Volkswagen, Hershey, Visa, and others. That's a serious portfolio — built on the promise of being the face of American soccer at its biggest moment. That moment came. It didn't go well.
This isn't just a bad week of press. The comparison being made in marketing circles is to Reebok's "Dan & Dave" campaign ahead of the 1992 Olympics — a $30 million build-up around two American decathletes, one of whom didn't even qualify. The industry remembers that one. Now they're making the same reference with Pulisic's name attached.
The off-pitch problem compounds it. Pulisic has never been a natural in front of a camera. Unlike Messi, Mbappé, Haaland, or Beckham, there's no charisma being sold — just discomfort. In the Degree commercial that's meant to showcase his passion and drive, he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. That's a real issue when your entire brand proposition is built on aspiration.
The backlash has a backlash
To be fair, Pulisic isn't entirely without defenders. ESPN's Craig Burley pushed back on the pile-on, pointing out that scapegoating one player for a team-wide collapse is lazy analysis. "It seems to me it's almost a personal attack on an individual rather than an analysis of the football," Burley said. "Because if it was analysis of the football, you could (criticize) pretty much the whole team."
There's also the small matter of the microfracture in his lower right leg sustained against Belgium — context that softens some of the criticism, even if it can't fully rescue his tournament record.
Carli Lloyd and Landon Donovan went hard at him. That generated its own wave of sympathy. American soccer is now having an argument about the argument, which is at least something.
Marketers, though, are already looking at alternatives. Folarin Balogun's name is being mentioned — a player who seems more comfortable in the media environment Pulisic has always found awkward. Four years is enough time to rebuild. But it's also enough time to be replaced.
