Pulisic injury – Christian Pulisic’s left-calf injury status for the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup game against Australia remains uncertain after he skipped full training Thursday, June 18, and worked on modified workouts while Mauricio Pochettino met with the medical s
SEATTLE — Christian Pulisic did not train with the full U.S. men’s national team session Thursday, June 18, and the decision about whether he can play Friday, June 19 against Australia still hinges on what happens later that day.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said he will meet with the medical staff later Thursday and then decide whether Pulisic has recovered enough from his left calf injury. Pulisic is listed as “day to day. ” and. if he is not available for the match in Seattle. the coach said he would be available for the next game.
“He’s evolving. He’s much better from Friday,” Pochettino said. “We will see. If he is not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game.”
Pulisic’s injury began in the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay on Friday, June 12. He left at halftime of the 4-1 victory after being injured in his left calf. Thursday, June 18 marked the fourth consecutive day of modified training for him.
Before Thursday’s session began, Pulisic was seen briefly juggling a soccer ball while wearing a sleeve on his left calf. Pochettino described the situation as painful but promising in terms of progression.
“When this type of thing happens, always it’s painful. Christian is strong and with a great mentality,” he said. “He’s doing a fantastic effort to try and be ready as soon as possible.”
The uncertainty has also reached the field-setup question: if Pulisic cannot start or play against Australia, who takes his spot. Pochettino would not name a replacement and said the decision would be made once there is clarity about Pulisic’s condition.
“I will tell you tomorrow if that is the situation,” he said. “At the moment, we are evaluating all these possibilities just in case, and then we will decide when we have the confirmation in one or another direction.”
He previously offered only a partial blueprint for how the staff could respond: Sebastian Berhalter replaced Pulisic against Paraguay, and other attacking options—Brenden Aaronson and Gio Reyna—were also on the table.
Pochettino’s plans sit inside a wider “day-to-day” framework with U.S. Soccer listing Pulisic as such while he continues modified workouts. Thursday’s session included more than ball work. Pulisic was also seen working in the gym for about 10 minutes before heading out. including lunges. hopping from one leg to the other. and resistance work.
“He’s not been training fully with the group yet, but we still got a couple of days to see where he’s at. Thankfully we’ve got a lot of boys on the bench who are eager,” Antonee Robinson said before the training session.
Robinson emphasized that a long tournament can’t be measured only by one match.
“It’s a long tournament,” he added. “If we don’t have him back for the game, then we’re going to make sure we have him back for the rest of the way because we’re going to need him. We’re going to need everyone.”
How the injury happened—and what it looked like after
Pulisic was kicked in the left calf during the World Cup opener against Paraguay and exited the match at halftime. After the 4-1 victory. he told reporters. “Bit of a kick in the first half. so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing… Taking a little bit of precaution today. but I’m hoping I’ll be fine. Just the back of my leg, sort of my calf area, but I’ve had similar things before, and staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything.”.
Pochettino later described it as a last-minute situation during the match, saying it was “a last minute decision and they were rushing to figure out the substitution.”
As of Thursday, June 18, the sighting of Pulisic actually handling the ball was significant for the team. During training on June 18 he was seen kicking a ball back and forth using both feet. and it was described as the first time he had been seen doing anything with a ball since leaving the opener at halftime. The media is only allowed to watch the first 15 minutes of training each day.
Will he play against Australia?
Pochettino said the question still has a direct answer only after medical evaluation.
“He’s good,” he said.
That message echoed what Tyler Adams—one of Pulisic’s closer friends on the USMNT—said ahead of training when asked whether he was worried about Pulisic’s status for the June 19 game.
Adams said, “Christian will be ready everyone. Let’s relax.” He added that he believed Pulisic had picked up a knock a few days before the game and then had been kicked in the same spot during the match.
“And when you go in at halftime, things obviously get tight within the 15, 20-minute break. But he’ll be fine,” Adams said.
Even with that optimism, the fact pattern remains tight: modified training, a sleeve on his left calf, and a coach planning to meet with the medical staff later Thursday.
If Pulisic can’t go, these names are in range
If Pulisic is unable to play against Australia in Seattle, Pochettino indicated the U.S. would have multiple attacking options.
Tim Weah is one possible replacement. Weah came off the bench against Paraguay, and Pochettino described him as more of a winger than the role Pulisic typically plays, noting Pulisic “tends to float inside and find space between the opposition’s midfield and defense.”
Gio Reyna is another possibility. Pochettino could start Reyna after a standout cameo against Paraguay that included a last-gasp goal with the outside of his foot. Reyna’s style differs from Pulisic’s. using “guile and technical ability to break down defenses rather than the dynamism that Pulisic brings.”.
Other attacking options listed include Alejandro Zendejas, Haji Wright, and Brenden Aaronson, none of whom saw the field against Paraguay. Zendejas and Aaronson were described as options who can replicate Pulisic’s ability to drive at defenders and put them under pressure.
Where the team is in the tournament
The U.S. entered the World Cup placed in Group D and ranked No. 16 in the FIFA World Rankings.
June 12: USA def. Paraguay, 4-1
June 19: USA vs Australia, 3 p.m. ET, Lumen Field, Seattle on FOX
June 25: USA vs Turkey, 10 p.m. ET, Sofi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. On FOX
Christian Pulisic USMNT Mauricio Pochettino World Cup Australia left calf injury Seattle Lumen Field day to day modified training