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INGLEWOOD, CA — USA star Christian Pulisic was kicked in the left calf during the USMNT's World Cup opener against Paraguay and exited the game at halftime of the 4-1 victory."Bit of a kick in the first half, so I'm really hoping that it's nothing," Pulisic told reporters during postgame interviews. "Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine."Just the back of my leg, sort of my calf area, but I've had similar things before, and staying positive. I don't think it's anything."While the USMNT put on a first half for the ages in their opening 2026 World Cup match against Paraguay, Pulisic was subbed out of the game to start the second half, with Sebastian Berhalter taking his place.Get USA World Cup tickets!Christian Pulisic injury updatePulisic will have a week to recover with the USMNT's next match on June 19 against Australia.No explanation was initially given for why Pulisic was taken off the pitch, nor was there any visible indication he was hurt. The FOX broadcast said he motioned to his family that he's OK, and he was sitting on the bench during the second half."Hope it’s not a big issue," USMNT coach Mauricio Pichettino said during his postgame news conference, adding it was a last minute decision and they were rushing to figure out the substitution.Pulisic's departure came after he played a spectacular first 45 minutes for the stars and stripes. He was constantly beating defenders off the first touch, and played a key part in the own goal in the seventh minute that got his team on the scoreboard. He then delivered a sensational pass to Folarin Balogun in the 31st minute to make it a 2-0 lead, getting the 21st assist of his national team career.USA 2026 World Cup scheduleThe USA national team begins the World Cup in Group D and ranked No. 16 in the FIFA World Rankings.June 12: USA vs Paraguay, 9 p.m. ET, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. On FOXJune 19: USA vs Australia, 3 p.m. ET, Lumen Field, Seattle on FOXJune 25: USA vs Türkiye, 10 p.m. ET, Sofi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. On FOX
