Christian Pulisic won’t play in the United States’ World Cup group stage match against Australia on Saturday. The Athletic reported Friday that the AC Milan winger has been ruled out due to a lingering calf issue, putting his participation in the rest of the tournament in doubt.
The 27-year-old was the best player on the field in the USMNT’s opening game against Paraguay, a dominant 4-1 win at the Los Angeles Stadium. He had an assist and created four chances before head coach Mauricio Pochettino pulled him at halftime. That early substitution raised eyebrows at the time, and now we know why.
Pochettino told Fox ahead of the Australia game that Pulisic wouldn’t be available. He described the recovery process as going well, but that’s not the same as being ready.
“Christian is not available. The evolution is really well,” Pochettino said. “Today, he was training in the morning in the camp and I’ve seen the feelings are good. I hope as soon as possible he can be ready to be selected again and to be part of the team.”
The coach added a note of disappointment: “A little bit sad because he wanted to stay, wanted to participate today.”
What this means for the USMNT
This is a real gut punch for a team that looked sharp and dangerous against Paraguay. Pulisic is the creative engine, the guy defenses have to game-plan around. Without him, Pochettino will have to lean on someone else to unlock an Australian side that loves to sit deep and counter.
A win over the Socceroos would put the U.S. in excellent shape to win Group D and advance to the round of 32 for the third straight World Cup. That’s the easy part of the math. The harder question is whether this team can finally break through to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, when they made that run in Japan and South Korea. Losing Pulisic for any extended stretch would make that climb significantly steeper.
The U.S. medical staff hasn’t said anything definitive about whether he’ll miss more than just this one game. But calf injuries are tricky, and the fact that he wasn’t even deemed fit enough for a bench role against Australia suggests this isn’t a minor thing.
Another star sidelined
Pulisic joins Neymar on the list of big names watching from the stands right now. Brazil’s star forward hasn’t played a minute at this World Cup and has already been ruled out of his team’s second group game against Haiti. Different teams, different tournaments, same problem: the best players in the world sitting in street clothes.
The USMNT and Australia kick off at 8 p.m. BST at Lumen Field in Seattle. BBC One and the BBC Sport website have the live coverage. For more World Cup news, analysis, and reaction as it happens, check out our page on OneFootball.
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