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Christian Pulisic tried to recover in time for the United States Men’s National Team’s second World Cup match, but one week wasn’t enough.
After injuring his calf in the World Cup opener and barely practicing all week, the United States will not have its superstar on the court against Australia.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino announced the news on FOX Sports’ pre-game show.
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USMNT star Christian Pulisic was substituted before the second half of the team’s first World Cup match against Paraguay. (Gary Vásquez-Imagn Images)
Pulisic, who had an assist in the win over Paraguay, suffered a calf injury that led to him being substituted after the first half last week.
Pochettino was constantly asked about Pulisic’s status for Friday and remained silent for the most part, evidently and understandably.
On Thursday, Pochettino said his star player was “much better” than when he suffered the injury and would at least be available for next week’s final group game against Turkey.
Pochettino said the staff and Pulisic would meet on Thursday night; Apparently, if that meeting were to take place, it would not be promising.
Pochettino added that Pulisic was “making a big effort trying to be ready”, understanding that the American star wants to be on the field with the rest of his teammates.
American forward Christian Pulisic controls the ball and beats Paraguayan midfielder Andres Cubas in the first half of a 2026 FIFA World Cup match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
During the team’s practice Thursday, Pulisic did much of what he’s been seen doing all week: holding a modified training session and not participating with the rest of the team during the media portion.
Sebastian Berhalter replaced Pulisic in the first half at halftime, while starting midfielder Malik Tillman improved his already impressive play in Pulisic’s absence.
With Australia defeating Türkiye in their first World Cup match, this fight between these two teams will determine who takes sole possession of first place in Group D.
With a victory, it would be the first time since the first World Cup that the United States won consecutive matches in the tournament and would clinch a spot in the knockout round.
United States of America forward Christian Pulisic (10) reacts against Panama during the second half of a Concacaf Nations League semifinal match at SoFi Stadium. (Images by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn)
But with Pulisic gone, the mountain to climb just got a little higher.
