SEATTLE — Uncertainty hangs over the availability of star American winger Christian Pulisic for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s critical second World Cup matchup against Australia on Friday, after the AC Milan attacker completed his fourth consecutive day of separate training Thursday while managing a nagging left calf injury.
The 27-year-old, widely regarded as the most accomplished player in the current U.S. squad, got the start in last week’s opening 4-1 blowout victory over Paraguay. But he was forced to exit at halftime, having developed unexpected stiffness from the injury he first sustained during a team training session. In the days leading up to Thursday’s session, Pulisic had already skipped full group workouts at the team’s Orange County base, and he did not join his teammates for on-pitch work Thursday morning at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium.
Pulisic did join the full squad for a pre-training huddle ahead of Thursday’s session, wearing a compression sleeve on his injured calf, before heading inside the facility to complete individual strength and conditioning work in the gym.
Ahead of the session, U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie told reporters he had limited insight into Pulisic’s recovery timeline, but shared that the star is pushing hard to be available for the Australia fixture. “I know he really wants to be in, and he’s doing everything that he can, and the staff is doing everything that they can as well,” McKennie said. “But, that’s also another question that’s better to ask him than me.”
Pulisic was a key playmaker in the opening win over Paraguay, creating an early own goal by the Paraguayan defense and notching an assist for Folarin Balogun’s first goal of the two he scored in the match. Losing their top attacking weapon would deal a significant blow to the U.S. side, which entered the Australia matchup riding a wave of momentum off its highest-scoring opening World Cup performance in modern history.
Despite the injury concern, the squad remains focused on capitalizing on the momentum built from the opening win, said midfielder Cristian Roldan. “What excites me is that the entire world, the entire nation is behind us,” Roldan said. “I think that they enjoyed watching us play, and at the end of the day what we want to do is inspire and motivate the next generation. … We have to build off it, and that’s the truth. We can’t just talk about it: we have to show out against Australia.”
If head coach Mauricio Pochettino rules Pulisic unfit to face the Socceroos, he has multiple attacking options to step into the starting role. The two most likely replacements are Leeds winger Brenden Aaronson, who notched four goals and five assists in the most recent club season, and Marseille forward Tim Weah, whose pace can change the dynamic of a game on either flank.
Other potential options include Gio Reyna, who scored the U.S.’s final goal against Paraguay and has shown dynamic playmaking ability off the wing. Sebastian Berhalter already replaced Pulisic at halftime in the Paraguay opener, while starting midfielder Malik Tillman turned in an impressive performance in Pulisic’s absence during that match.
McKennie added that the entire squad has rallied around Pulisic during his recovery, and that the star has remained in a strong mental state despite the setback. “I think mentally he’s great,” McKennie said. “I think it’s really hard for someone’s mental game to be messed up in these types of conditions in U.S. soccer, and all the guys around, we’re a big family. So, we’re always there to pick someone up if they’re down, and excel them even further if they’re not. So, I think he’s doing good mentally.”