Christian Pulisic’s early brilliance helped the USMNT open World Cup Group D play with a 3-0 first-half lead over Paraguay, but concern surged after he was substituted at halftime. Pulisic later said he felt a kick in the first half and hoped it was nothing se
The fear didn’t take long to spread on a night when the USMNT looked almost unstoppable.
Christian Pulisic was on the pitch at SoFi Stadium from the opening whistle against Paraguay on Friday night. driving plays and forcing problems from the start. He didn’t score. but his creativity helped swing the game early—Damián Bobadilla was pushed into an own goal in the seventh minute that put the USMNT ahead. Pulisic’s perfectly weighted cutback and pass across the box then set up Folarin Balogun for his first-ever World Cup goal in the 31st minute. making it 2-0. Another Balogun finish helped the USMNT reach halftime with a 3-0 lead. the best 45 minutes in recent memory and perhaps in the team’s history.
Then came the halftime change. Pulisic was absent at the start of the second half, replaced by Sebastian Berhalter. The moment his spot was handed over. the anxiety returned—because it hadn’t been long since Pulisic’s form had become a national obsession in the run-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There had been widespread panic that he wasn’t right. fueled by the fact that he hadn’t scored for either AC Milan or the United States men’s national team in nearly six months. He had tried to quiet that storyline in a warmup friendly against Senegal on May 31, scoring in that match.
But now, with the World Cup opener already set in motion, the substitution pulled attention to the worst possible question: what was wrong?
Even the broadcast didn’t immediately offer clarity on why Mauricio Pochettino chose to pull Pulisic. Pochettino’s explanation afterward only raised the temperature for the rest of the night—his injury concerns hovered over the second half like a cloud threatening to break.
Pulisic addressed it after the match. “I just got a bit of a kick in the first half. so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing. ” he said. according to FOX Sports’ Doug McIntyre. He added that he was taking precautions. “Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days.”.
Pochettino described the sequence more specifically: Pulisic was kicked in his calf and “started to feel tight,” and they didn’t want to take risks. The substitution was described as “a precaution,” per Tom Bogert.
With a full week to rest and ramp back up to peak form, the immediate stakes are clearer than the fear that briefly swallowed the second half. The USMNT will continue Group D play against Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday, June 19.
For now, the night’s headline is still the USMNT’s dominant first-half performance. But Pulisic’s absence at halftime turned a routine World Cup lead into a suspense test of how quickly a small injury can become a big worry—and whether the response is as simple as his own message: that he’s fine. and the next few days will prove it.
Christian Pulisic USMNT Paraguay SoFi Stadium 2026 FIFA World Cup Mauricio Pochettino calf injury Folarin Balogun Damián Bobadilla Sebastian Berhalter Australia June 19 Lumen Field
Wait so he got hurt like… a kick? Dang.
Honestly they were up 3-0 and they take him off?? That’s usually how you know it’s serious. Hope it’s not like long-term injury stuff or whatever.
I think it’s kinda wild everyone was freaking out about him not scoring for Milan/US for months, but then he has a good opener and still something happens. Makes you wonder if they’re managing him because of the 2026 stuff or because he’s been off? Also Sebastian Berhalter… is that even a real doctor lol
Maybe he just got tired? Like halftime subs happen all the time. But the article makes it sound scary, and then of course I see he felt a kick in the first half. If it was nothing, why not just leave him in? The fact the broadcast didn’t say anything right away is annoying.