The US Men's National Team is facing renewed 'sports dad drama' after Christian Pulisic's father, Mark Pulisic, publicly criticized Landon Donovan for comments about Christian's decision to skip the Gold Cup. This incident, which saw Christian Pulisic 'like' his father's critical Instagram post, follows the 'Reyna Brouhaha' from the 2022 World Cup, highlighting ongoing issues of parental involvement and internal squabbles within elite US soccer.
The US men’s national team has more of the last thing it needs: sports dad drama
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The US Men's National Team is facing renewed 'sports dad drama' after Christian Pulisic's father, Mark Pulisic, publicly criticized Landon Donovan for comments about Christian's decision to skip the Gold Cup. This incident, which saw Christian Pulisic 'like' his father's critical Instagram post, follows the 'Reyna Brouhaha' from the 2022 World Cup, highlighting ongoing issues of parental involvement and internal squabbles within elite US soccer.
Trending- 1 Pre-2022 World Cup: Domestic violence incident between Gregg Berhalter and his wife occurred.
- 2 2013: Landon Donovan took a sabbatical from soccer.
- 3 2022 World Cup: Gio Reyna had limited playing time; Gregg Berhalter aired Reyna's lack of effort in training.
- 4 After 2022 World Cup: Gio Reyna's parents informed US Soccer about Berhalter's decades-old domestic violence incident, triggering an investigation.
- 5 Half a year after 2022 World Cup: USMNT played under interim coaches.
- 6 Last summer: Berhalter was rehired, then ousted after a poor Copa América showing.
- 7 May (current year): Landon Donovan made similar comments about players on vacation on his podcast.
- 8 Sunday (current year): Mark Pulisic posted on Instagram criticizing Landon Donovan after Donovan's Fox Sports comments.
- 9 This summer: Christian Pulisic decided not to join the USMNT Gold Cup campaign.
- Renewed 'sports dad drama' for the USMNT
- Distraction from recent team dysfunction
- Potential negative impact on team morale
- Stalled career for Gio Reyna (from previous incident)
- Ouster of coach Gregg Berhalter (from previous incident)
What: Public criticism and social media feud between Mark Pulisic and Landon Donovan regarding Christian Pulisic's decision to skip the Gold Cup, exposing ongoing 'sports dad drama' within the US Men's National Team.
When: Sunday (Mark Pulisic's Instagram post), May (Donovan's podcast comments), this summer (Gold Cup), after the 2022 World Cup (Reyna Brouhaha), March (recent USMNT losses), last summer (Berhalter's ouster).
Where: United States (elite soccer), Qatar (2022 World Cup), Fox Sports (Donovan's commentary), Instagram (Mark Pulisic's post).
Why: Mark Pulisic reacted to Landon Donovan's apparent jibe at Christian Pulisic for not joining the USMNT Gold Cup campaign, stemming from a general complaint about players on vacation. This reflects the 'incestuousness' of US elite soccer, where personal grievances and parental involvement can become public issues, and a perceived lack of understanding from pundits about the demands on top European-based players.
How: Mark Pulisic posted a ChatGPT response about Donovan's past sabbatical on his private Instagram account, criticizing Donovan's commitment and challenging him to 'call names out.' Christian Pulisic 'liked' the post. This public exchange follows a pattern of parent-driven drama, previously seen with the Reyna family's actions after the 2022 World Cup.