IRVINE, Calif. — Christian Pulisic is ready to return for the U.S. men’s national team.
“I’m feeling good,” Pulisic said Wednesday, one day before the final group stage match of the World Cup against Turkey. “And yeah, I’m hoping to play a part tomorrow. For sure.”
The exact extent Pulisic — who missed last week’s win over Australia with a left calf injury — will participate in terms of minutes was left unclear. Having already clinched the top spot of the group thanks to FIFA’s changes in tiebreaker rules, and with Turkey already eliminated for the same reason, the match amounts to a dead rubber.
Pulisic said he’ll discuss his minutes with the coaching and medical staffs, but “obviously not a good chance I’ll probably go and play 90.”
Under the circumstances, that would count as prudent.
The superstar forward said he “never feared” his injury was anything particularly concerning. Pulisic came off at halftime in the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay, saying afterward that he was kicked in the same spot on his calf where he’d already picked up a knock in training a few days prior.
Despite Pulisic, Mauricio Pochettino and various players expressing confidence Pulisic would be back shortly, he didn’t return to full training before the Australia game and didn’t play.
“I was pushing and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game for sure,” Pulisic said. “Obviously I did feel a little something but I was able to push through in the first half with adrenaline and just get me through. It wasn’t quite ready. It wasn’t anything where I feared anything worse than what it was.”
His absence ultimately didn’t doom the USMNT against Australia as it won 2-0 and rarely looked troubled.
“It was obviously a different set of emotions for sure, not being able to play,” Pulisic said. “I enjoyed being on the sideline, being around the team, I wanted to be there. Still living that World Cup game. I couldn’t be happier and prouder of how the guys handled that whole situation. I had faith in them. I knew they would.”
Going two weeks without any game action, he added, would not affect him, pushing back on the notion that he had been off.
“Two weeks off sounds crazy. I haven’t been off,” Pulisic said. I’ve been working every single day, a lot. No, I don’t think that’s enough time to lose sharpness. I’ve been touching the ball every single day and whatnot. I’m working a lot. So get a couple training sessions in, I’d say I feel ready.”
