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Clint Dempsey Showers Christian Pulisic With Major Honor

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 1:12 PM ET

Christian Pulisic has been under heavy criticism these past few weeks. From former players to US Men's National team fans, many have questioned Pulisic's decision to skip the Gold Cup.

Legends of US Soccer like Tim Howard and Landon Donovan question if Pulisic prioritizes the USMNT as he should, but one USMNT legend, Clint Dempsey, gave the 26-year-old his flowers.

Dempsey is currently with Men in Blazers to tour cities where the USMNT plays during the 2025 Gold Cup. In one of the shows previewing the USMNT playing against Saudi Arabia, Dempsey was asked about his favorite players in US Soccer history, and his response raised eyebrows.

Dempsey Names Pulisic Among US Soccer Legends

Dempsey was asked to pick his Mount Rushmore of US Soccer players, and the former U.S. soccer captain did not hesitate to include Pulisic.

Clint Dempsey included Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, and himself. He did not care about Pulisic being young and nowhere near the end of his career, but his praise for the 26-year-old will sit well for the AC Milan player, who has been under a lot of criticism.

Hall of Famer Clint Dempsey picks his @USMNT Mount Rushmore of Teammates - live with @MenInBlazers on his new show, The Deuce! pic.twitter.com/WtxKfxjC8e
— National Soccer HOF (@soccerhof) June 20, 2025

Dempsey on Pulisic Criticism

A few weeks ago, when the drama surrounding Pulisic's decision to stay home instead of playing the Gold Cup, Dempsey gave his thoughts on Pulisic not playing for the USMNT.

Dempsey was asked about his thoughts on Donovan questioning Pulisic's commitment to the USMNT, and his words mirror the viewpoint of Pulisic's father.

Pulisic's father did not believe Donovan was the right person to question his son due to his sabbatical during the 2012-13 season.

"Maybe right message, wrong messenger."

Clint Dempsey weighs in on the Landon Donovan-Christian Pulisic beef pic.twitter.com/AThVvscbsg
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 11, 2025

What's Next for the USMNT?

The USMNT advanced to the knockout stages of the Gold Cup after finishing first in Group D. They finished top of that group with nine points, securing three wins in the group stage.

Yesterday, Team USA defeated Haiti 2-1 at the AT&T Stadium. The USMNT will play Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Sunday at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Costa Rica finished second in Group A with seven points. They had two wins and one draw in the group stage. Their game last night against Mexico ended 0-0 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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