Christian Pulisic is back on the pitch. The US men’s national team captain made his return as a second-half substitute against Turkey on June 25, entering the match in the 58th minute after missing time with a left calf injury sustained during the World Cup opener against Paraguay.
It was Pulisic’s first appearance since that opening match, where he logged just 45 minutes before being forced off. He sat out entirely for the group stage match against Australia, leaving fans and coaching staff holding their breath about his availability for the knockout rounds beginning July 1.
A dead rubber with real stakes for Pulisic
Here’s the thing about this match: it didn’t matter for the standings. The US had already locked up first place in Group D before kickoff at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Both the USMNT and Turkey rolled out rotated lineups, treating the fixture more like a glorified training session than a must-win contest.
Pulisic’s 45 minutes against Paraguay and his substitute appearance against Turkey gave him roughly 75 to 80 minutes of total tournament action heading into the bracket stage.
