Christian Pulisic has confirmed his recovery from injury and readiness to rejoin the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) for their upcoming World Cup matches. The winger, a key player for the squad, stated he is fit and eager to participate, aiming to play a role in the team's final group game against Turkey on Thursday. Pulisic missed the crucial victory over Australia, which secured the USMNT's progression to the knockout rounds, due to a calf issue.
He had previously come off at halftime during the USA's opening World Cup match against Paraguay after sustaining a kick to the back of his left leg that impacted his ability to walk. Pulisic returned to full training earlier this week and, speaking publicly for the first time about his injury struggles, expressed optimism about his immediate prospects. "I'm feeling good," Pulisic said. "I'm hoping to play a part in tomorrow… obviously [there is] not a good chance I'll probably play 90 minutes right away – after you come back and miss a game – but we'll see."
Pulisic was influential in the first half against Paraguay, contributing to two of the USA's three first-half goals. He acknowledged the impressive performances of other top players in the tournament, such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, who have collectively scored 13 goals in the opening two rounds. "Of course, I can appreciate when the best are doing what they do," Pulisic commented. "And it definitely motivates me that much more to want to get out there and do my thing."
Reflecting his manager Mauricio Pochettino's efforts to foster belief within the team, Pulisic echoed the sentiment that the USMNT can achieve significant success. "I just always believe that anything's possible," he stated. "And I don't feel like we necessarily need some miracle to go far in the World Cup. I think we have a really good team. I think we can do it. Things have to go your way - just like for everyone - and I just always feel like believing is better than not."
The team secured their place in the knockout stage with a win against Australia, and manager Pochettino now faces a decision on whether to maintain the lineup that secured two consecutive wins or to rest key players ahead of the next stage of the competition. Pulisic hopes to contribute against Turkey, who have already been eliminated from the tournament.