Former U.S. men’s national team star Alexi Lalas took aim at Christian Pulisic, claiming the American superstar is not the captain the USMNT “needs or wants” ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Pulisic has come under fire over the last year for his leadership and commitment to the Stars and Stripes. A string of underwhelming performances and results, combined with the decision to skip the Gold Cup this summer, subjected the 26-year-old to a wave of criticism.
With just eight months to go until the USMNT kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign in Los Angeles, the noise is only getting louder for Pulisic, who has the pressure of wearing the captain’s armband for the host nation in the biggest tournament of his career.
Lalas, a vocal critic of the AC Milan forward, did not hold back when addressing Pulisic’s captaincy on the podcast.
“I don’t think that Christian Pulisic is the captain that this team needs or that this team wants. The problem is, who else is there? Who’s coming around the bend? Nobody,” Lalas said.
The 55-year-old went on to mention Chris Richards, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, but admitted those players are “not quite there yet.”
