Christian Pulisic experienced a microfracture and a bone bruise in his leg during the United States’ 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 on Monday, as confirmed by US Soccer.
The injury occurred in the second half of the match in Seattle, leading to his prompt removal from the game. Following the incident, he underwent X-ray and MRI scans on Tuesday to assess the damage, which is likely to sideline him for several weeks. US Soccer indicated that the federation is collaborating with AC Milan to establish a rehabilitation plan for Pulisic.
After the US team’s disappointing elimination from the World Cup, some analysts highlighted Pulisic’s remarks to reporters regarding his injury. When asked about the incident, he noted,
“I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play … I have time to rest. It’s just unfortunate way to finish.”
Carli Lloyd, a former star of the US women’s national team now serving as an analyst for Fox, tweeted the following day,
“You rest when your playing career is over. Period.”
This message appeared to be directed at Pulisic in the wake of the match.
Landon Donovan, a former captain of the US men’s national team, expressed his thoughts on his Unfiltered Soccer podcast, stating,
“the reality is, [Pulisic] came out of a World Cup knockout game at home, with his leg still intact … you would have had to fucking drag me off the field. And I would have punched the doctor in the face and said, ‘You’re not taking me off the field. Put whatever you need to put in me, and I’m staying on the field.’”
Pulisic’s injury-laden World Cup journey has been seen as a significant disappointment during the US’s campaign. The AC Milan forward showcased his talent during the first half of a 4-1 victory over Paraguay but had to exit at halftime due to a recurrence of a left calf injury. This same injury had prevented him from participating in the US’s second group match, a 2-0 triumph over Australia. He made a brief appearance as a substitute in a meaningless 3-2 loss to Turkey and started in the last 32, where he played 88 minutes but was only sporadically effective in the 2-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
