Pulisic targets – U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic, who missed the 2-0 win over Australia with a left calf injury, returned to full training before the group-stage finale against Turkey at SoFi Stadium and is aiming to play with a possible minute restriction.
IRVINE, Calif. — Christian Pulisic watched the U.S. do the job without him, then walked back into training determined not to miss the last step.
The 27-year-old, sidelined for the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 win over Australia with a calf injury. is now targeting Thursday’s World Cup group-stage finale against Turkey at SoFi Stadium. The U.S. has already clinched a berth in the round of 32 and later finished first in Group D. but the question hanging over this matchup is simple: can Pulisic go.
On Wednesday, Pulisic said he is aiming to play a part on Thursday.
“I’m feeling good. I joined the team the last couple days and yes, I’m hoping to play a part tomorrow for sure,” he said.
If he does appear, Pulisic suggested he will likely be limited.
“There’s not a good chance I’ll go and play 90 right away,” he said.
He also said he was close to being available against Australia, but the team ultimately opted for caution.
“I was pushing, and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game,” he said. “I did feel a little something. but I definitely was able to push through in the first half [against Paraguay] with adrenaline. It wasn’t quite ready, but it wasn’t anything where I feared anything worse than what it was.”.
That stop-start reality has defined the last few matches. Pulisic trains with the team, but his body’s timeline is still being managed.
Pulisic trained with the team
Pulisic was a full participant in training for the first time in 10 days on Monday, June 22, a sign the U.S. hopes may be able to lean on him deeper into the tournament.
During that session, he did not have the sleeve on his left calf that he had been wearing previously. He was also in cleats rather than sneakers.
The injury itself traces back to the U.S.’s World Cup opener against Paraguay. Pulisic was kicked in the left calf during the 4-1 victory and exited the game at halftime.
By the time the team reached the next match, he was still dealing with it. On Wednesday, Pulisic said the injury was present before the Australia game and was aggravated during the first half at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I took a big kick to the calf a couple days before the game and then throughout the first half I felt good. ” he said. “And then I started to notice it a little bit and I think adrenaline definitely carried me through. I just think I had a pretty strong contusion, strain, whatever you want to call it. But yeah, again, it’s feeling a lot better.”.
There’s a clear rhythm to the decisions the U.S. has made: Pulisic pushed through against Paraguay. missed the Australia match to avoid further risk. then returned to full participation on June 22. Now the finale against Turkey is where that balance between readiness and caution will be tested again.
The schedule that frames Thursday
The U.S. began the World Cup in Group D and entered the tournament ranked No. 16 in the FIFA World Rankings.
Its group matches were:
June 12: USA def. Paraguay, 4-1
June 19: USA def Australia, 2-0
June 25: USA vs Turkey, 10 p.m. ET, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
All games are being broadcast in the United States on Fox and FS1. Matches will also be broadcast in Spanish throughout the entirety of the World Cup on Telemundo and streaming on Peacock.
For U.S. fans. the stakes aren’t only about advancing — they’re about who the team can afford to have healthy when the tournament tightens. On Thursday night. with Pulisic describing himself as a likely non-90-minute option. the injury story may finally resolve into something closer to normal minutes — or end with another careful decision.
World Cup key dates coming into focus
Group Stage: June 11-June 27
Round of 32: June 28-July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Third-place game: July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Final: July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Christian Pulisic USMNT Turkey vs USA SoFi Stadium World Cup group-stage finale calf injury minute restriction Group D 2026 World Cup