Four days prior to the U.S. men’s national team’s second FIFA World Cup group stage match against Australia, star attacker Christian Pulisic trained separately from his teammates.
Pulisic trained solo on Monday at the team’s World Cup training base in Irvine, California. The 27-year-old played just 45 minutes in the USMNT’s 4-1 Group B win over Paraguay last Friday, assisting on Folarin Balogun’s first goal of the match and the team’s second in a dominant first half.
With the Americans holding a 3-0 lead at halftime, head coach Mauricio Pochettino didn’t risk Pulisic for the second half, replacing him with midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
Pulisic revealed postmatch at SoFi Stadium that he got kicked in the back of the leg, but doesn’t expect his injury to impact on his tournament availability.
“I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic said. “Taking a little bit of precaution today but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days. [It’s] 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.”
Should Pulisic not be able to play, or be available for the full 90 minutes on Friday at Lumen Field, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, and the aforementioned Berhalter are the likely candidates to replace him in Pochettino’s starting lineup.
Fridays showdown between the Americans and Australians could have major implications in who tops Group D with both teams sitting 1-0-0 after opening weekend wins.
Source: Sbisoccer.com
