By OkayGoal 
Former U.S. men’s national team star Landon Donovan didn’t stay silent during Portugal’s postgame celebrations on Sunday night in Munich.
Donovan voiced his frustration toward the USMNT stars that will miss the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup during Fox’s broadcast of the UEFA Nations League Final. Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, and Yunus Musah were among several USMNT players left off of Mauricio Pochettino’s 27-player roster in May due to respective reasons.
While Robinson recently underwent ankle surgery and Musah was left off due to a personal issue, Pulisic was given a period of rest due to a lengthy campaign with Serie A club AC Milan. The USMNT’s current losing streak was extended to three matches on Saturday after a 2-1 home friendly defeat to Turkey in Connecticut, adding pressure on the current group ahead of the Gold Cup group stage.
Donovan, who is ranked first (tied with Clint Dempsey at 57) and second in USMNT goals and appearances respectively, certainly hit out at Pulisic’s lack of international involvement while breaking down 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact in Portugal’s victory over Spain.
“This is what it means to represent your country,” Donovan said postgame on Fox. “As an international soccer player, if you don’t want to take it seriously or responsibly, then don’t come in.
“He’s [Ronaldo] 40 years old, he played a long ass season, he was out there grinding and got hurt in the process,” Donovan added. “And I can help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup. It’s pissing me off.”
The 26-year-old Pulisic made 50 appearances for AC Milan this season across all competitions, which was a new career-high for the Pennsylvania native at club level. However, the lack of Pulisic’s presence in the USMNT squad this summer, will be a major loss for the program that is desperately trying to get back on track after their Nations League failure last March.
Tuesday’s home friendly vs. Switzerland will be the final preparatory match for the USMNT before group stage play begins on June 15 against Trinidad & Tobago.