U.S. men's national soccer team star Christian Pulisic reportedly sustained a microfracture and bone bruise in his leg during the team's 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
The injury occurred in the 52nd minute of the match when Pulisic attempted a shot and struck a Belgian defender's calf. He is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, according to a report from The Athletic.
Pulisic, 27, has since faced criticism for his postgame comments regarding his injury, where he stated he now has time to "rest." The remark drew the ire of many, prompting his first social media post on Wednesday since the team's World Cup Round of 16 exit.
"Tough to find the words. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed. The support carried us all the way through. It simply wasn’t good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more," Pulisic wrote in his post. "I still feel blessed to be a part of this team. The memories this summer will last a lifetime. It’s just the start for us and for this sport in America."
The AC Milan player had previously reaggravated a calf injury during the group stage, which caused him to miss nearly two games. He returned to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the match against Belgium but was not effective, recording just two shots on target and one assist across four World Cup games.
Pulisic will now return to AC Milan to recover and prepare for the upcoming Serie A season.