Christian Pulisic‘s dad, Mark, hit back at Landon Donovan on Monday after the U.S. soccer great appeared to criticize the midfielder for his decision to sit out the upcoming Gold Cup to rest after wrapping up his season with AC Milan.
On Sunday, Donovan was a pundit for the UEFA Nations League final, in which Portugal beat Spain on penalties, for Fox Sports and made it clear he was unhappy with Pulisic’s decision to ask U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino to leave him out of the Gold Cup squad.
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“This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said on the broadcast while watching Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
“This is what it means. And if you don’t want to take this as a professional soccer player, as someone who gets the opportunity to wear that jersey and take it seriously and responsibly, then don’t come in. This is what it means.
“[Ronaldo is] 40 years old. He’s played a long-ass season. He’s tired. He’s out there grinding. Hurt himself in the process, and I can’t help but think about some of our guys on vacation, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s pissing me off.”
Although Donovan did not mention Pulisic by name, he was likely referring to him as well as Yunus Musah and Antonee Robinson, who are also not part of the Gold Cup squad.
Christian Pulisic will not be playing for the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
By way of response, Mark Pulisic asked ChatGPT to explain Donovan’s sabbatical from soccer in 2012-13 that ultimately led to him being left out of the 2014 World Cup squad.
“Landon Donovan took his sabbatical because he was feeling both physically and mentally exhausted after years of intense competition and the pressure that comes with being a top athlete,” the AI text chatbot said in a response to the prompt.
“He’d been playing professionally from a young age and had participated in multiple World Cups, so he felt the need to step back and take some time for himself. This break allowed him to rest, travel, and ultimately return to the game with a refreshed mindset.”
Mark Pulisic posted a screenshot of the ChatGPT reply on Instagram, and Christian Pulisic liked it.
Donovan is not alone in being critical of Pulisic’s decision, with former U.S. great Alexi Lalas leveling similar criticisms, saying the team needs as much playing time together as they can get with the World Cup coming to the U.S., Mexico and Canada next year.
