Christian Pulisic, face of American soccer, is reportedly out of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup—and the reason, now revealed, sheds light on a bigger picture that extends far beyond the summer tournament. As fans gear up for a packed international calendar, the absence of the U.S. men’s national team’s leading man comes as a shock, especially with several other key players also unavailable.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is preparing to lead the United States into his first major tournament since taking the reins, will be without his marquee name. Pulisic, who has been central to the USMNT’s ambitions for nearly a decade, will not appear on the 26-man roster for the Gold Cup, according to reports from FOX Sports.
“It’s a situation that forces a team like the U.S. to get by without players that would normally be with us,” Pochettino admitted to reporters ahead of the roster announcement.
The Stars and Stripes will open the 2025 Gold Cup on June 15 against Trinidad and Tobago, followed by matches against Haiti and guest nation Saudi Arabia. But they will do so with a significantly depleted squad.
The reason behind Pulisic’s likely absence
While several USMNT stars—Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna—will miss the tournament due to their clubs’ involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup, Pulisic’s exclusion is for a different reason.
“Pulisic is beaten up physically following two back-to-back marathon European seasons and international games,” FOX Sports’ Doug McIntyre reports. “The decision was also made with his health at the all-important 2026 FIFA World Cup in mind.”
The numbers tell the story. Over the last two seasons with Milan, the 26-year-old winger has logged 4,995 minutes in Serie A alone, far surpassing the 1,738 minutes he managed during his most active Premier League season at Chelsea. Add to that his appearances in Coppa Italia, Champions League, and international matches, and the workload becomes clearer.
On the verge of setting a career-high in minutes played, the Americans tar could top the 5,000-minute mark if he features in the Rossoneri’s final Serie A match this weekend against Monza. With his body worn down, the decision was made to rest him through the summer.
