Christian Pulisic was forced off at halftime in USA’s World Cup opener due to a calf problem, Mauricio Pochettino has revealed in a worrying injury update.
On an otherwise joyous night for the co-hosts, who kicked off their World Cup campaign in style with a resounding 4-1 win over Paraguay, Pulisic departed at the break after helping America storm into a three-goal lead.
With the win seemingly in the bag, Pochettino initially appeared to be giving his star player an early rest.
However, after the victory the USMNT coach told Fox that the decision to replace Pulisic was actually injury related.
Pochettino explained that the AC Milan forward took a kick to the calf and felt some discomfort, before admitting: ‘We didn’t want to take any risks.’
‘I’m really hoping it’s nothing,’ Pulisic told reporters after the game. ‘I’m taking a little bit of precaution today but I’m hoping I’ll be fine.’
Christian Pulisic was forced off at halftime in USA’s World Cup opener due to a calf problem
The AC Milan forward took a kick to the calf and felt discomfort in the first half of USA’s 4-1 win
Before picking up the knock, Pulisic registered an assist in a stellar first-half performance for the USMNT, who enthralled the home crowd with an aggressive attack while racing to a 3-0 halftime lead – the team’s largest in any World Cup game.
Folarin Balogun scored twice in that historic first half as the US opened a first home World Cup in 32 years with its biggest win in the tournament, an impressive 4-1 victory.
Pulisic created the first two goals with exceptional runs down the left side. In the seventh minute, he cleverly split two defenders and passed to Weston McKennie, whose centering touch hit Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla’s outstretched foot and went in, setting off pandemonium in the SoFi Stadium stands.
Christian PulisicMauricio Pochettino
