While the USA’s 2022 FIFA World Cup journey has come to an end, Christian Pulisic believes his teammates can hold their heads high with pride for their effort in Qatar.
The Stars and Stripes finished runners-up to England in Group B having led Gareth Southgate’s side to a goalless draw and defeating Wales.
However, they were eliminated on Saturday following a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16, during which Pulisic provided an assist to Haji Wright to halve the deficit with 15 minutes remaining.
Unfortunately for the Americans, it wasn’t enough to inspire a comeback, but Pulisic nonetheless was full of admiration for what he and his teammates had achieved.
“I’m very proud of this team and how far we’ve come,” he said after the game. ‘I hope we have shown a lot of people what we can do.
‘It’s a shame because I thought we deserved more from this tournament. At the end of the day, we couldn’t make it, but there are many things we can be proud of.’
The 24-year-old was playing his first World Cup in Qatar and is hoping to play again in four years when the United States co-hosts the tournament along with Mexico and Canada.
While that prospect is exciting, Pulisic remains grateful for the experience he’s just had and believes the group can achieve even more in 2026.
“It was an incredible experience and I will always remember it,” he added about the tournament. “It hurts now, but give it a couple of days and we’ll know it’s a moment we have together forever.”
“We thought we could move on and do a lot more this time, but I love these guys. It’s a really special group we have.
“I don’t want to experience this feeling ever again and I hope we have a lot of good things to come.”
