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Christian Pulisic was brilliant in the first 45 minutes of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the United States.

The USMNT star hasn't taken the pitch since, and that remains true to start against Turkiye on Thursday night in the final match of Group D play.

It's a key storyline, of course, with the U.S. dreaming big at this tournament at home.

With Pulisic able to play against Turkey, the injury clearly is not too severe. Now, the star cane be more ready for knockout-stage play.

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Why isn't Christian Pulisic starting tonight?

Pulisic is on the bench as he continues to recover from a calf injury sustained in the first half of the opening match against Paraguay.

He has returned to training, and so there are signs of optimism.

But head coach Mauricio Pochettino is playing it careful with Pulisic.

The U.S. has already clinched the top spot in the group, so starting Pulisic wasn't particularly necessary on Thursday.

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Could Christian Pulisic play as a sub vs. Turkiye?

In the 57th minute of Thursday night's match against Turkey, Pulisic entered the pitch. At the time, the game was a 2-2 draw, and Pochettino most likely wanted his star to stretch his legs before their Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It's risky, of course, coming off an injury in a game that doesn't mean anything for the standings.

But the U.S. is trying to balance that with having Pulisic be sharp, so there's a chance he gets into the game.

More FIFA World Cup news:

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive high school sports coverage at the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. When people ask if he's seen a movie, the answer is usually "No, I was probably watching sports." Even away from sports, his main hobby is running (much slower than any athlete in these pages).

Source: Sporting News