Christian Pulisic had a forgettable World Cup as the USMNT crashed out of the knockout round against Belgium. The entire tournament was ruined by injuries, and he couldn’t contribute much in the limited time he played. He ended the 2026 FIFA World Cup with just one assist from four matches. In the round of 16 game against Belgium, Pulisic stayed till the 59th minute before he was pulled out with a right ankle injury.
Fans surely had high expectations from their talisman, but were left unimpressed. Does that mean Pulisic can be compared with USWNT veteran Megan Rapinoe? One insider did it, but fans don’t agree.
“Pulisic played like Rapinoe this tournament,” ‘big content guy’ shared via X.
Well, there shouldn’t be any arguments regarding Christian Pulisic’s struggle in the 2026 World Cup. According to ESPN FC, “Christian Pulisic lost possession 11 times in just 45 minutes. The MOST of any player on the field.” So, despite playing for only 59 minutes against Belgium, Pulisic made an unwarranted record. Moreover, following a goal on December 28, Pulisic went mired in a staggering 16-match club scoring drought through the first half of 2026. This comes in contrast to Pulisic’s dominant debut with AC Milan.
Debuting in late 2023 with AC Milan, Pulisic reached ten goals by early March 2024, becoming the first American male to reach double-digit goals in a top-flight Italian league. But the FIFA World Cup 2026 showed a different reality.
He started the tournament against Paraguay with a calf injury and ended on the same note. However, comparing him with Rapinoe may be an overkill.
pulisic played like rapinoe this tournament
— big content guy (@bigcontentguy) July 7, 2026
Despite being a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner and FIFA Women’s Player of the Year 2019, Rapinoe has her own share of criticisms.
In the 2023 World Cup, she entered the Round of 16 match as a substitute and faced heavy online abuse and mocking after sailing her penalty attempt over the crossbar. Still, despite an expected slump in any professional’s career, she scored six goals in the 2019 World Cup. Christian Pulisic didn’t score any goals in the 2026 World Cup.
Enough for the fans to call out the insider for disrespecting Megan Rapinoe.
Fans are left unimpressed with Rapinoe’s comparison with Pulisic
“Incredibly disrespectful to Megan Rapinoe lol,” one fan said.
“We wish she were one of the best players in the world and had won 2 World Cups. He’s never sniffed her peak,” one fan recalled Rapinoe’s achievement.
“Rapinoe actually won a World Cup lol,” another agreed.
“Pulisic played like Pulisic – he’s done nothing on the global stage for us,” one user hinted about Pulisic not winning a World Cup, unlike Rapinoe.
“Don’t insult Rapinoe like that,” one more user remarked.
