Christian Pulisic Emotional in Video After Suffering Injury in USMNT's World Cup Loss vs. Belgium

Monday's round of 16 game at the 2026 World Cup was one to forget for American star Christian Pulisic.

After struggling for much of the first half, he was subbed off in the second half and seemed to be in pain. He was also visibly upset on the bench with his team trailing 3-1:

Pulisic dealt with a calf injury during the group stage that forced him to miss the victory over Australia. He returned for the ensuing contest against Türkiye and entered in the second half before playing in the round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While he may have been limited again Monday, he did not play at the level the United States needed him to be at against a quality opponent such as Belgium.

According to ESPN FC, he lost possession 11 times in the first half. That was the most of any player on the field, which was all the more concerning for the Americans considering he's supposed to be the one who drives the attack forward.

Yet it was poor defending that proved to be their undoing even more than Pulisic's struggles in the early going.

Sergiño Dest was caught slacking on Belgium's first goal before Charles De Ketelaere soared over Tim Ream to complete his brace for the second goal. The third goal was even worse, as goalkeeper Matt Freese mishandled a ball that created a look from distance for Hans Vanaken.

There was nothing even a healthy Pulisic could have done on those miscues.