Christian Pulisic has been mostly sidelined since suffering an injury at the start of Team USA’s World Cup run, but he appears ready to regain his full workload in the team’s knockout round game.
Pulisic made a strong statement about his availability for Wednesday’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, hinting that he will no longer be limited by the calf injury that knocked him out of earlier games.
Christian Pulisic Ready to Start
Pulisic was first hurt in the team’s World Cup opener against Paraguay, going off at halftime after being kicked in the calf in what the team later called a precautionary move. He remained out of the lineup for the team’s win over Australia, then came in as a second-half substitute in the loss to Turkiye.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Pulisic said on Tuesday that his recovery has continued to go well and he was planning on playing more against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I’m feeling good, it’s been a good week of preparation. I felt really good in the last game,” Pulisic said. “I’m excited to go for it tomorrow.”
When asked if he would be starting in Team USA’s next match, Pulisic said that decision was coming soon.
“I think we’ll get it figured out today,” he said.
While the decision may not yet be official, Pulisic made it clear that he felt back to full strength during his limited appearance against Turkiye.
“I felt great in the last game against Turkiye,” he said, via The Athletic. “I’m feeling good this week, and I’m definitely ready to go for tomorrow.”
Pulisic also made it clear that he would play as long as his team needs, whether that could mean 90 minutes or 120 if it goes to extra time, The Athletic added. As one of the team’s star players and most trusted veterans, he is expected to return to the starting lineup.
Team USA Dealing With Other Injuries
While Pulisic may be ready to return in full, Team USA has some other injuries to contend with in their Round of 32 match. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Auston Trusty would be limited after suffering a late ankle injury against Turkiye, but could come off the bench if needed.
“Auston is much better than we expect. We need a last assessment. I hope that he can be on the bench,” he said.
The Athletic noted that there were two other players not expected to play.
“Pochettino added that regarding [Mark] McKenzie (foot irritation) and Cristian Roldan (muscle strain), ‘it’s going to be difficult’ for them to be ready,” the report noted.
The American team heads into the match as a favorite, though they are coming off a disappointing result against Turkiye after surrendering the go-ahead goal with just seconds remaining in stoppage time. Team USA had benched several players with yellow cards for the match, keeping them out of suspension trouble, but struggled to match the energy of the motivated Turkiye team that had already been eliminated from the knockout round.
Is Christian Pulisic Starting Against Bosnia? Team USA Star Shares Injury Announcement