U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic expresses frustration with fan turnout in Cincinnati
The announced crowd for the United States men’s national team’s 3-0 win over Morocco in Cincinnati on Wednesday night was 19,512.
Capacity at TQL Stadium is 26,000, so it wasn’t close to a full house for the game.
After the game, U.S. star Christian Pulisic was asked how it felt to be back in the United States after playing for Chelsea in England’s Premier League.
“For whatever reason, I’m not super happy with the amount of Americans here, however that works out, if I’m being completely honest,” Pulisic said on ESPN. “But thanks to the ones who did come, and the support is always great from them.
“But yeah, it’s nice to be back in America and playing again.”
That’s not a great look for Cincinnati, which hopes to be one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
A U.S. star calling out the lack of support may not hurt Cincinnati’s bid, but it certainly can’t help.
Kansas City, which also is in the running to be a host city in 2026, will have a chance to restore Pulisic’s faith in American fans. The U.S. men’s team will play Uruguay at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday. The game starts at 4 p.m.
The other U.S. cities in the running to host 2026 World Cup games are: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington D.C./Baltimore.
Either 10 or 11 cities in the United States are expected to be chosen for games by FIFA when an announcement is made June 16.
