Christian Pulisic expressed disappointment at the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup exit and said sorry to supporters.

USA beaten by NetherlandsPulisic features after injuryAdmits that defeat is painful

WHAT HAPPENED? Pulisic was back in the starting XI after injury for the USMNT against the Netherlands at World Cup 2022 on Saturday but couldn’t prevent his team being knocked out of the tournament. Louis van Gaal’s side won 3-1 to progress to the quarter-finals, while the USMNT must now head home after another last-16 exit.

WHAT THEY SAID: “We’re sorry. We wanted it so bad and I hope that we gave you some kind of excitement and showed you a little bit of what this team is about, and thank you guys,” he said. “It hurts a lot right now. We thought we could advance and do a lot more this time around but I love these guys and we did a lot. It was an incredible experience, one I’ll always remember. It hurts right now but give it a couple of days and we can look back and be proud.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The USMNT has now been eliminated from four of its five appearances in the round of 16 but will have reasons for optimism. Gregg Berhalter’s squad is packed full of young talent with players such as Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Sergino Dest around. The team will also be well aware that the 2026 World Cup will be hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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DID YOU KNOW? Pulisic was directly involved in all three of the USMNT’s goals at the 2022 World Cup (one goal, two assists).

WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC? The forward will now switch focus back to Chelsea. The Blues return to Premier League action on December 27 against Bournemouth.