Pulisic addressed his decision to take the summer off, as well as the criticism from Landon Donovan, on CBS Sports' Call It What You Want

And while the USMNT was thoroughly embarrassed in its friendly against Switzerland, much of the discussion focused on the player who wasn't there: Christian Pulisic. Ever since the AC Milan star elected to skip the Gold Cup — the USMNT's only competitive tournament before the 2026 World Cup — the backlash had been impossible to ignore.

Christian Pulisic has been backed by former teammate Olivier Giroud as the ruckus over the U.S. men’s national team star’s summer absence continues to rumble on.