Christian Pulisic Returned and Weston McKennie Said What Everyone Was Thinking

Christian Pulisic stepped onto the field in the 58th minute on Thursday night, and the LA crowd let him hear it. Thunderous applause for a guy who hadn’t played a meaningful minute in two weeks. The USMNT had already locked up the group by then, so the 3-2 loss to Turkey didn’t really matter in the standings. But for Pulisic, and for everyone watching, that 30-minute cameo meant something.

Pulisic had been sitting since the opener against Paraguay, where he aggravated a calf injury in the first half. He missed the Australia game entirely, and the question hanging over everything was whether he’d be right for the knockout stage. Thursday was the first real test. And from the look of it, he passed.

McKennie on what Pulisic brings back

After the game, Weston McKennie sat down with Tom Rinaldi and didn’t hold back. “I think he’s a special player,” McKennie said. “It’s no doubt he adds something to the group. He adds his one-on-one qualities. Whenever the game might look dry or isn’t creative, he can come in and create something out of thin air.”

McKennie’s point is exactly what the USMNT has been missing. Against Australia, the attack looked flat at times. No real spark. No one who could beat a guy one-on-one and open up the defense. Pulisic is that guy. Even in limited minutes against Turkey, he had 26 touches and took three shots, two on target. His movement looked fine. He wasn’t favoring the calf. He looked like himself.

“I felt really healthy,” Pulisic said. “It was great to be back with the team, get some minutes. Tough way to end for us, but we win the group and look forward to next week.”

What comes next for the USMNT

The group stage is done. The USMNT won Group A despite the loss to Turkey. Next up is Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday in San Francisco. That’s where it gets real. One-and-done. No more games like Thursday where the result is secondary.

Everything hinges on Pulisic being able to go 90 minutes. McKennie made it clear he hopes to see him again in San Francisco, and the team is building confidence around that possibility. Pulisic looked healthy, but no one’s going to say for sure until he’s out there starting a knockout match. The USMNT hasn’t had its full weapon set available for a high-stakes game yet in this tournament. They might get that chance against Bosnia.

And if Pulisic is who he says he is, that changes everything for this team.