Cherundolo Named Olympic Team Head Coach

Former National Team Defender and MLS Manager to Lead the Olympic Cycle

U.S. Soccer has turned to a familiar face to lead its Olympic ambitions on home soil. Steve Cherundolo was announced Thursday as head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team, which will compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The 47-year-old arrives with a resume that spans both playing and coaching success. A three-time World Cup veteran and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Cherundolo made 87 appearances for the senior national team and spent 15 seasons at Hannover 96, where he made 423 appearances across all competitions.

His coaching path took him through the German youth ranks before he returned stateside in 2021 to lead the Las Vegas Lights, LAFC's USL affiliate. A year later, he took over at LAFC and immediately delivered, winning the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double in his first season while setting a league record for most wins by a first-year head coach. He added a U.S. Open Cup title in 2024 before stepping down last November to move his family back to Germany.

Now he takes on a new challenge in familiar territory. "Representing the United States at the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors in sports, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this team," Cherundolo said in a statement, adding that the group's job is "to compete with courage, humility, and a clear identity."

Cherundolo's first order of business will be identification camps at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, as he begins building a roster for the tournament in the U.S.

Criticism of Pulisic

Winger Faces Backlash After Underwhelming World Cup Ends in Injury

Christian Pulisic entered his home World Cup as the face of American soccer, but the tournament he'd hoped would cement his legacy instead left him fielding pointed criticism after a quiet exit against Belgium.

The 27-year-old struggled to find rhythm for most of the first hour against the Belgians before departing with an ankle injury in the 59th minute, unable to influence a match the U.S. would go on to lose 4-1. It was a deflating way to end a tournament that began with real promise—Pulisic looked lively in the opening 45 minutes against Paraguay before a calf injury interrupted his run, sidelining him for stretches of the group stage and preventing him from ever recapturing that early form.

His postgame comments only intensified the scrutiny. Asked by Fox's Jenny Taft what had forced him off, Pulisic explained he'd sprained his ankle, called it a frustrating way to end things, but added that he now had time to rest. That final remark didn't sit well with a fanbase already stung by the elimination, and it opened the door to sharper criticism elsewhere.

Former USWNT World Cup winner Carli Lloyd was among the most vocal, saying on air that she'd expected more from Pulisic across the tournament and suggesting the USMNT's star players looked tentative and lacked confidence from the outset. She followed up on social media with a blunt jab, arguing rest is something reserved for after a career ends. Former forward Sydney Leroux echoed the sentiment, suggesting Pulisic had coasted through the tournament.

The severity of that ankle injury has since come into focus. Pulisic's setback against Belgium has been diagnosed as a bone bruise and microfracture of the tibia/fibula, and he was seen on crutches at the team hotel the day after the match. He's expected to be sidelined for several weeks, putting him in a race to be ready for AC Milan's preseason. Pulisic later expanded on his disappointment beyond the injury itself: "I'm disappointed with myself, of course, but I'm going to try to stay positive. I did a lot of good things and the team did as well."

For a player often described as the best of his generation to wear the U.S. crest, the numbers told their own story: no goals and a single assist across the run. It leaves Pulisic, still very much in his prime, facing an uncomfortable reckoning over a home World Cup that never delivered the signature moment so many expected from him.