‘World class’ Christian Pulisic sparks fresh concerns ahead of USA’s clash with Australia
Christian Pulisic emerged with a black compression sleeve around his left calf during training on Wednesday.
USMNT’s golden boy jogged to the far side of the training pitch and participated in light passing drills with team trainers.
This marked the third straight occasion where Pulisic has trained separately from his teammates as he continues to be cautious around the niggle.
The 27-year-old as the US kicked off their World Cup campaign in style last Friday with a history-making 4-1 win over Paraguay in Group D.
The 27-year-old was at his dynamic best throughout the first half, cutting through Paraguay’s defense to force an own goal for USMNT‘s first of this summer’s tournament.
Pulisic then set up Folrian Balogun for the US’s second — but as the teams took to the field for the second half, he was substituted for Sebastian Berhalter.
After the game, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Pulisic was struggling to walk during the half time interval, hence the substitution.
“I’m really hoping it’s nothing,” Pulisic said after the game.
“Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I’ve had similar things before and I’m staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything at all.”
The US take on Australia in Seattle on Friday, with both nations tied at the top of Group D with three points each.
It is unclear as to whether Pulisic will be able to take the field, although Pochettino described him as being ‘good’ earlier in the week.
Pulisic’s teammates have been hopeful, but haven’t given a definitive indication on their captain’s status when speaking to media this week.
“Christian is a world-class player,” striker Timothy Weah said, via FOX Sports.
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“Christian, for me, is top five wingers in the world. He’s one of my favorite players to watch. Being able to play alongside him for a long time has been amazing.”
“I’m super proud of him, and hopefully he’ll be ready for our next game.”
Pulisic suffered an injury in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while scoring the decisive goal in the final group stage match against Iran.
The US’s matchup against Australia on Friday is not an elimination game, so it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Pochettino proceeds with caution with his star midfielder.
“It’s a long tournament,” USMNT defender Antonee Robinson said.
“If we don’t have him back for the game, then you know we’re going to make sure we have him back for the rest of the way because we’re going to need him as we’re going to need everyone.
“Hopefully we have everyone available.”
USMNT-Australia matchup expected to be ‘feisty’
The previous meeting between the two nations was a feisty affair, which saw Pulisic leave the game once again with injury.
USMNT fought their way back from a goal down to beat the Socceroos 2-1 in October.
“I have never wanted to win a game more than this one, I can tell you that for free,” Kai Trewin told reporters, via FOX Sports.
“I expect it to be very heated, both teams need to win to progress from the group.
“I didn’t play in that game last year, but I did watch it on TV and it was good to watch as an Aussie.
“It was quite feisty, a lot of big tackles. Obviously, you’ve got to be careful. No one wants to do anything silly, but I’m sure there’ll be lots of big moments and strong tackles from both sides.
“I don’t think anyone will be leaving anything out there.”
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