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The Apple TV analyst defended Pulisic amid hefty criticism from ex-U.S. stars over his decision to sit out Gold Cup

WHAT HAPPENED?

Former MLS and national team star Taylor Twellman is the latest big-name pundit to weigh in on Christian Pulisic's decision to sit out the summer, and staunchly defended the USMNT star after others issued had takedowns ahead of the Gold Cup.

The former New England Revolution forward, appearing on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption on Thursday, asserted that Pulisic has "bled red, white and blue" and called out the the critics, dubbing the chatter a "distraction" ahead of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

Twellman was not as supportive of the performance of Mauricio Pochettino, saying the coach gets a "D-minus if I had to give him a grade," with the USMNT riding a four-game losing streak into this weekend's Gold Cup opener.

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WHAT TWELLMAN SAID ABOUT PULISIC'S DECISION

Twellman issued a staunch defense of Pulisic, saying "I agree with him, I do. I was there for his debut. I’ve been there since the beginning of his international career. Every single time he has stepped on the field he has bled red, white and blue. I’ve never questioned the commitment."

Twellman said his concern was more about overall team buy-in, with a significant number of starters not with the USMNT for the Gold Cup, either for injury reasons or Club World Cup commitments.

"I’m questioning the collective commitment on whether or not they fully understand the magnitude of what this World Cup is," he said. "I’ve got to raise my hand and apologize to every one of your watchers and listeners on ESPN right now. I called this team the Golden Generation. I did. That’s my fault. Because I don’t know if they are. They don’t have signature win.

"And yet they’re going into the biggest World Cup in the history of the game and it’s in their back yard and you’re asking me if the captain is committed? That’s as big of a distraction as there is. Unequivocally, he’s committed to the United States, and he wants to play for the United States. I just don’t know collectively if they’re good enough to do it."

Mauricio Pochettino USMNT vs Switzerland

WHAT TWELLMAN SAID ABOUT POCHETTINO

Twellman was critical of Pochettino's performance, saying "it’s a D-minus if I had to give him a grade. And the only reason why it’s not an F is that he hasn’t had a ton of time to acclimate to the international game."

Pochettino's record since taking over the team last year is 5-5. He is the first USMNT coach to lose five of his first 10 since Lothar Osiander from 1986-88.

"This is a club manager that’s now trying to get into this situation where you’re not with them every single day. It is very disappointing to me how inaccurate he is in assessing what is live on the field," Twellman said. "The fact that they lose to Switzerland 4-0 at home, and until halftime that team didn’t look like they had any idea what they wanted to do. It’s a D-minus, for lack of a better way to put it. It’s a D-minus and he knows it because he took the onus on it.

"The pressure is on him. For as dignified as a manager that he is, I’m shocked at how disappointing he’s been in trying to identify the personality of the group… there’s no personality, there’s no identity. And the fact is, they are up against it, trying to figure that out in over 364 days."

Johnny Cardoso USMNT vs Turkey

THE BIGGER PICTURE

It has been a rough few months for the USMNT, who have struggled for results of late, losing four straight. Most recently, they dropped back-to-back games in friendlies with first Turkey and then Switzerland - although they were playing without most of their first choice XI.

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WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC AND THE USMNT?

The U.S. open Gold Cup play on Sunday with a clash against Trinidad and Tobago. Pulisic's next involvement will likely come in the September international break, when the U.S. is due to take on Japan and South Korea in a duo of friendlies.