Christian Pulisic sustained a bone bruise and a microfracture in his leg during the United States Men's National Team's 4-1 World Cup defeat to Belgium, an injury that forced him off the field in the second half of the match.
The incident occurred in the 52nd minute when Pulisic, 27, kicked the back of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans' calf while attempting a shot. Despite trying to continue, Pulisic was substituted in the 59th minute, visibly hampered by the injury. He was later seen using crutches at the team hotel.
Medical assessments have revealed the extent of the damage, which will sideline the AC Milan winger for several weeks. However, the recovery timeline is not expected to cause him to miss months of action. He is anticipated to return to training in August, in time for AC Milan's Serie A opener against Torino on August 23.
AC Milan's new manager, Ruben Amorim, publicly supported Pulisic on Wednesday. "I know the strengths of Pulisic, I believe in him, he will be supported in our club," Amorim stated. "I know he had some criticism after the World Cup elimination, but I am here to say we believe a lot in him, and have a clear plan to use the qualities he has."
Pulisic's performance and demeanor in the World Cup have drawn criticism from some U.S. soccer figures. Former U.S. Women's National Team star Carli Lloyd expressed her disappointment on social media and during post-game coverage, stating, "I think big time players, you wanted some of those big time players to step up in big moments... I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic. We didn't see enough from him in this particular game and really, the whole World Cup." USMNT legend Landon Donovan also commented on his podcast, "You would have had to f***ing drag me off the field."
When asked about the injury immediately following the match, Pulisic told Fox, "It's just frustrating to end like that, of course, but now I have time to rest, so hopefully it'll be OK."