Christian Pulisic has not given up hope of playing against Australia.
Neither, it appears, has U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking Thursday, Pochettino offered his most encouraging update yet on the condition of the United States captain, saying Pulisic has improved significantly since aggravating his left calf injury during last week’s World Cup-opening victory over Paraguay.
But whether America’s biggest soccer star will be available for Friday’s pivotal Group D match against Australia remained uncertain.
“He was training individually the whole week,” Pochettino said. “Tonight, we have a meeting with our medical staff. We will assess the whole group, and tomorrow we will communicate.”
The coach then delivered a message likely to ease some concerns among American supporters.
“He’s evolving and much better from Friday. We will see. If not available tomorrow, he’ll be back for the next game (vs. Turkey).”
Christian Pulisic’s Status Remains Day-to-Day
Pulisic’s availability has become one of the major storylines of the World Cup’s opening week.
The 27-year-old winger was substituted at halftime of the Americans’ 4-1 win over Paraguay after aggravating a calf injury that initially surfaced during training. Since then, he has been limited to modified work and has trained separately from his teammates.
On Thursday, Pulisic again did not participate in the team’s full training session. He briefly joined teammates for a pre-practice huddle before working independently alongside the performance and medical staff.
Still, the fact that he has resumed field work this week represents tangible progress.
The United States enters Friday’s match knowing a victory over Australia would put it in an excellent position to advance to the knockout rounds.
Pochettino Praises USMNT Captain’s Determination
Even if Pulisic ultimately sits out against Australia, Pochettino said the AC Milan star’s commitment to representing the United States has never been in doubt.
“He’s doing a massive effort to be ready,” Pochettino said. “I think for every single player who loves their country, it’s an amazing opportunity to enjoy and help the team perform and win games.”
The Argentine manager also acknowledged the emotional difficulty of missing World Cup matches.
“When this type of thing happens, it’s always painful, but Christian is strong and has a great mentality. He’s doing great effort to try to be as ready as possible.”
Those comments reflect why Pulisic remains the emotional and creative heartbeat of the American squad.
USMNT Has Options if Pulisic Cannot Play
The United States proved against Paraguay that it possesses attacking alternatives.
Giovanni Reyna scored in the opener and could be in line for a larger role. Alejandro Zendejas, Timothy Weah and Brenden Aaronson also offer Pochettino different tactical options should Pulisic be unavailable.
Still, replacing the influence of the American captain is nearly impossible.
Former U.S. coach Bob Bradley recently noted that Pulisic is at his best when allowed the freedom to drift inside and outside the attack, where his dribbling and creativity consistently create problems for opposing defenses.
For now, Pochettino and the United States remain in wait-and-see mode.
But after several anxious days, the latest update suggests the question is no longer whether Pulisic will play again in this World Cup.
It may simply be whether he can return one game sooner than expected.
Mauricio Pochettino Provides Encouraging Christian Pulisic Update Before Australia Match