Christian Pulisic's Fitness a Major Concern for USA Ahead of World Cup Match
Quick Look
- Christian Pulisic's fitness is a major concern for the USA ahead of their World Cup match against Australia.
- The AC Milan star suffered a calf issue against Paraguay and has been training away from the main squad.
- Teammates Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, and Weston McKennie expressed hope for his return, while coach Mauricio Pochettino remained non-committal.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Christian Pulisic, an AC Milan star, suffered a calf issue during a match against Paraguay and his fitness is uncertain for the upcoming World Cup game. His importance to the US team is highlighted by his goal contributions.
All week the USA have been sweating on the fitness of Christian Pulisic.
The AC Milan star was brilliant against Paraguay until coming off at half time with a calf issue.
Reports from the US camp in the last 10 minutes or so suggest that 27-year-old is out of the game - but that is yet to be confirmed.
It's a massive deal, because his importance to the US cause is immeasurable.
Only Landon Donovan has contributed to more goals for the US in the World Cup since 1990 than Christian Pulisic's four, tied with Clint Dempsey.
He has been training away from the main squad for the past four days.
His teammates certainly hoped he'd be fit.
"Christian, for me, is one of the top five wingers in the world," Tim Weah said earlier this week.
"He's one of my favorite players to watch. Being able to play alongside him for a long time has been amazing. Just the little things that he does, he's such a humble player.
"I think you get caught up in a lot of the noise, but Christian is amazing. He showed it against Paraguay. His ability when he's able to be on the ball is amazing. It helps the team. I'm super proud of him.
"Hopefully he'll be ready for Friday."
Brenden Aaronson said he was "really hoping" that Pulisic would be back when he was spoken to earlier this week, while Weston McKennie said "I know he really wants to be in and he's doing everything that he can," when asked about it yesterday.
Mauricio Pochettino was keeping tight lipped yesterday.
"We’ll see," the US coach said.
"At the moment, we'll see. If he’s not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game."
Hello folks and welcome to the ABC Sport coverage of a massive morning of World Cup action.
It's the Socceroos against the hosts, the USA, in Seattle and another massive game for the nation to get behind.
My name is Simon Smale and I, like hundreds of others, have shuffled through the dark streets of Australian capital cities towards a match that is being greeted with optimism and trepidation in equal measure.
Tom Wildie is at the ground in Seattle for all the colour, he'll be joining us throughout the morning.
As for the rest of you, welcome.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Pulisic will miss the upcoming game.
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will Pulisic be fit for the game?
- What is the exact nature of his injury?