The full extent of Christian Pulisic's injury, which ended his World Cup participation, has been revealed as a bone bruise and microfracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg. The revelation came Thursday and followed criticism from former U.S. Soccer figures regarding his exit from the team's Round of 16 loss to Belgium.
Pulisic was substituted out of the match in the second half of the U.S. Men's National Team's 4-1 defeat after sustaining the injury. Following the game, Pulisic described the injury as a twisted and sprained ankle, stating his frustration but noting he would "get time to rest."
His postgame comments drew sharp reactions on social media. Carli Lloyd tweeted, "You rest when your playing career is over. Period," in a direct message to Pulisic. Landon Donovan also addressed the situation on his podcast "Unfiltered Soccer" with Tim Howard, suggesting a player should remain on the field regardless of injury. "The reality is, he came out of a World Cup knockout game at home, with his leg still intact. Because you would have had to f–king drag me off the field," Donovan said. "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.’"