Pulisic returns – Christian Pulisic returned from a calf injury as a substitute in the U.S. men’s national team’s 2026 World Cup group finale against Turkey, and the dynamic change was immediate. But Kaan Ayhan scored with the last kick of the game to give Turkey a 3-2 victory,
The roar at SoFi Stadium turned loud fast—then it turned quiet just as quickly.
After 58 minutes of Thursday’s World Cup match between the U.S. men’s national team and Turkey, the U.S. brought on Christian Pulisic, who had missed the team’s last match with a calf injury. A sellout crowd greeted his return with a huge roar. and the game briefly looked like it was slipping toward a late U.S. win. The match was tied 2-2 when he entered.
Pulisic changed the tempo immediately. He raced past defenders and pressed the Turkish defense with his speed and dynamism. He raced in on goal and had a shot saved. The rebound bounced to Brenden Aaronson, who should have scored.
Pulisic nearly made it happen himself next. He hit the post off a deflected effort, then later curled a shot just wide. If the U.S. was going to find a breakthrough, it looked like it would come from the player the team has leaned on most.
“Just having him come into the game, he makes such a difference,” Aaronson said after the game. “Attention goes to him, so other guys can have chances and stuff like that. He was electric as always.”
But the night didn’t end the way it began. Turkey found a late winner, with Kaan Ayhan scoring with literally the last kick of the game to give the visitors a 3-2 victory.
Even so, the return mattered—maybe more than the result. With Pulisic fit again, the U.S. is entering the next phase with its most important pieces back where they belong.
The timing is why Thursday’s loss stings but doesn’t fully derail the bigger picture. The U.S. had already won its first two group games. clinching first place before the third match even kicked off—meaning the team could afford the luxury of not needing Pulisic against Turkey. Now, the stakes sharpen for the round of 32.
The U.S. will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in its next match. And based on what was seen Thursday, Pulisic appears ready.
“I felt healthy. I felt good,” Pulisic told Fox after the game. “So it was really nice to be back with the team and get some minutes. I felt good. I felt good with the ball.”
The pressure heading into the knockout stage will be intense. After the positive momentum from the first two wins, a loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina would be nothing short of disastrous.
Coach Sebastian Berhalter summed up the difference Pulisic made the moment he came on. “You saw his quality, and you saw when he came in, the impact he had,” Berhalter said after the game. “He’s our guy.”
For now, the U.S. carries both emotions into the next round: the sting of conceding with the last kick, and the relief of having its spark returned right when it will be needed most.
USMNT Christian Pulisic Turkey vs USA Kaan Ayhan Aaronson SoFi Stadium 2026 World Cup round of 32 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sebastian Berhalter
So Pulisic comes back and they still lose. Cool cool cool.
I swear the moment he subbed in the whole vibe changed, like it was obvious. Then of course the last kick goal like whyyy. Did the defense forget how to play after 58 minutes?
Not gonna lie, I thought that rebound to Aaronson should’ve been an automatic goal, like it was right there. Also why are they talking about “attention” to him like that’s a strategy? If he’s electric then why does Turkey still score last second… seems scripted.
Last kick of the game is such a Turkey thing lol. But also the article says he changed the tempo immediately, so maybe the calf injury had nothing to do with it and it was just bad luck. I’m confused though—was it 2-2 when he entered or after? Either way, SoFi crowd sounds loud for like 10 minutes then nothing. Classic.