'He had to respond' - Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas back Mauricio Pochettino's stance on Christian Pulisic's comments, stress that 'no player is bigger than the team'

The debate around Chrisian's Pulisic's decision to skip the Gold Cup has been pervasive of late. On Saturday, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino responded to Pulisic’s recent comments, in which the U.S. star claimed that he had offered to join the national team for a pair of friendlies before opting to sit out the Gold Cup

Pulisic said the USMNT coaching staff declined the offer, saying, "It's the coach's decision, I fully respect that. I didn't understand it, but it is what it is." Pochettino, one day before the Gold Cup opener, insisted it was a very clear call, saying "I understand him, but I don’t need him to understand our decisions."

Ahead of the USMNT Gold Cup kick off against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, analyst Landon Donovan defended Pochettino's comments, claiming the coach needed to stand up for both himself and the program. On the FOX pregame show, Donovan said Pochettino "can’t just let his best player walk all over him like that - he had to respond."

Fellow analyst Alexi Lalas said he believed Pochettino needed to assert his position as manager while reiterating the primary focus is on the team - not individuals.

“I don’t feel sorry for Mauricio Pochettino at all," Lalas said. "But it was important for him to say that and to establish very publicly that no player is bigger than the team. But the reality is that Mauricio Pochettino understands that this team needs Christian Pulisic going forward. I think this, too, shall pass, but I think it’s a little frustrating right now.

"And when I think of the summer of 2025, I did not in my wildest dreams anticipate that there would be this type of criticism of the team, this angst relative to the team. And most importantly, an this is the biggest problem, apathy towards this team. You cannot just turn it on at the World Cup, so this summer matters, this next year matters. But starting today, players and Mauricio Pochettino? Step up, or step aside.”

Pulisic is not with the USMNT at the Gold Cup this summer, having requested not to participate due to fatigue from match congestion over the past two years.

Speaking to FOX ahead of Sunday's match, Pochettino reiterated his focus on the group with him in camp.

"The message is to be always focused on ourselves and the national team," he said. "Of course, we hear the many things over the past few days or last few weeks, but the most important thing is that this team is focused on this Gold Cup... We're focused, and we need to trust in ourselves. We need to do our job."

The U.S. last won the Gold Cup in 2021, claiming the trophy under former manager Gregg Berhalter.

The U.S. opened the Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago Sunday in San Jose, California.