The U.S. Men’s National Team needed a signature Christian Pulisic performance if it wanted to reach the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. Monday night was anything but one of them. Pulisic played just 59 minutes in the USMNT’s 4-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium at Seattle Stadium before leaving the match with an ankle injury. The 27-year-old was quiet and ineffective in the match, struggling to have a major say in the final result. “I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” Pulisic said postmatch. “I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It’s just unfortunate way to finish.”After injuring his ankle in a collision with Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans in the 54th minute, Pulisic watched as Rudi Garcia’s men further extended their lead by pickpocketing USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese and seeing Hans Vanaken slot home into an empty net. Pulisic was substituted off two minutes after Belgium’s third goal, limping to the USMNT bench in visible pain and frustration. It marked the latest setback for Pulisic this summer after he re-aggravated a calf injury in a 4-1 group stage win over Paraguay, an issue that further kept him out of the 2-0 victory over Australia. After Pulisic was reduced to only one assist in four World Cup appearances on home soil, he admitted his self disappointment in not contributing more to the USMNT.“I felt really good this summer with the guys and I thought my level was high,” Pulisic said. “Yeah, it’s disappointing. I didn’t quite have the moments I was hoping to and to try to help us to really push and get over this next step of beating a really good team.“I’m disappointed with myself, of course, but I’m going to try to stay positive,” he added. “I did a lot of good things and the team did as well.”Despite the USMNT topping their group and setting a new program record for the most wins and goals scored at a single World Cup, Monday’s loss to Belgium was an example of the continued work the squad needs to compete with the world’s best. All four of Belgium’s goals came off of USMNT mistakes or errors, while Malik Tillman’s free kick finish received a fortunate deflection off of the Belgians wall in the first half. Pulisic reiterated his frustration with the summer schedule coming to a closer, but still believes the USMNT can take positives from the Round of 16 exit.“We were really positive coming into it and there’s a lot of things to be proud of this summer for sure, but it’s always tough to lose like we did today,” Pulisic said. “I think we put on some really good performances for sure. We made it through our group, quite dominant in fashion, and then we won the game against Bosnia. “We can for sure be proud of, but I just think we want to have higher hopes than that,” he added. “We want to be able to go and compete with some of the best in the world and we just still have that next step to climb, where we are close.”The USMNT received ample support throughout the World Cup, playing in front of packed stadiums in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Santa Clara. In addition, many U.S. cities, both large and small, held watch parties, fan fests, and festivals, coming together to rally behind the USMNT in only the second-ever World Cup held on North American soil. Pulisic thanked the fans, both near and far, for their support, helping make positive memories for him to remember in the future. “We’re grateful that for the support that they gave us this summer, it really felt like they took a step up and just the support behind this, I don’t know, it felt incredible,” Pulisic said. “So those memories all keep with me forever having a World Cup in the U.S. so we’re just grateful for that support.”Luckily for Pulisic, he doesn’t have much time to wait until he’s back on the field. The AC Milan star will enjoy a summer break before joining back up with the Rossoneri for preseason camp ahead of the 2026-27 Serie A campaign.Former Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim takes over in Milan, trying to get the Rossoneri back among the title challengers following a disappointing 2025-26 season. While Monday night marked a sad ending in Pulisic’s latest chapter with the USMNT, he still has goals for what’s to come.“For me, it’s just going and spending some time with family and forget about the game for a little bit, of course, try to get a little bit of rest,” Pulisic said. “We’ll be right back in a few weeks going back to preseason and back with the national team, no doubt. There’s still a lot more that we want to accomplish.”