USMNT legend Tim Howard has called out Christian Pulisic as he brandished the American talisman “stupid” after he celebrated a goal for his country by mimicking Donald Trump.

The AC Milan winger was on the scoresheet for the Stars and Strips versus Jamaica during the latest set of international fixtures, grabbing the opener in a 4-2 victory. However, the former Chelsea ace’s gesture following his strike proved divisive as he followed stars including the NFL’s Nick Bosa and the UFC’s Jon Jones in impersonating the U.S president elect.

The controversial gesture is best described as a double fist pump, which became a customary move for Trump on the Republican campaign trail in the lead up to this month’s vote. Pulisic’s teammates Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi joined in, as they celebrated in front of the crowd in St Louis, Missouri.

However, former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper Howard has revealed his disapproval of the actions of the players involved as he called out the trio for their gestures. Speaking in his Daily Mail column, he said: “Here’s my personal view: doing a dance that mimics Donald Trump is stupid.

“Why? Because, whether it’s the president of the United States or my neighbor down the street, I would never back someone who I believe is racist. I wouldn’t glorify that. I wouldn’t do it for anything.

Hitting back at Pulisic’s subsequent claims that the celebration had no political undertones, Howard added: “If someone feels strongly the other way, no problem. But if you’re going to make a political statement then be bold and brash enough to stand behind it. Don’t go quiet and don’t plead innocence like Christian Pulisic.”

Follow us on Xfor the best and latest in sports news

USMNT legend Tim Howard gave his honest verdict on the celebration from Christian Pulisic

USMNT legend Tim Howard gave his honest verdict on the celebration from Christian Pulisic ( 

Image:

Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, the man known to fans as “Captain America” said of his antics: “I mean you guys know, I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL. ‘I saw Jon Jones do it and yeah, we were just having a bit of fun, so I thought it was a pretty fun dance.’

“Well obviously that’s the Trump dance. It’s not like it was just a dance that everyone’s doing. Yeah, he’s the one who created it, so I just thought it was fun. It’s not a political dance, it was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and yeah, thought it was funny so I enjoyed it. I hope some people did.

Giving a detailed response to these remarks, Howard commented: “I don’t buy that. Any show of support for Donald Trump is political. But Pulisic is not alone here, by the way.

“We saw it in the NFL, when 49ers star Nick Bosa wore a MAGA hat and then initially tried to dodge questions about it. And we saw it in the UFC, when Jon Jones did the Trump dance in front of the president-elect after knocking out Stipe Miocic.

“It didn’t take long for fans to discover that, until recently, Jones followed Kamala Harris on Instagram but not Trump. But, when he is ringside, Jones does the dance, hands over his belt and thanks Trump for coming to MSG.”