IRVINE, Calif. — Christian Pulisic did not even bother waiting for the first question from reporters before the U.S. training session Wednesday.
He shared what was on everyone’s mind: How was he feeling after missing 1½ World Cup matches with a calf injury?
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“I’m feeling good,” he said in his first comments in 12 days. “I joined the team the last couple days, and yeah, I’m hoping to play a part in tomorrow, for sure.”
Thursday marks the third and final Group D match, against last-place Türkiye at SoFi Stadium. Having already clinched first place and a Round-of-32 assignment July 1 in Santa Clara, California, the U.S. has nothing substantial to play for.
For Pulisic, though, the game could provide an opportunity to gain competitive minutes before the knockout stage begins next week. He said he would discuss his status and possible time limitations with the coaching and medical staff.
“Obviously, [there’s] not a good chance I’ll probably go and play 90 [minutes] right away after you come back and miss a game, but we’ll see,” he said.
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Coach Mauricio Pochettino said Pulisic is “available. Then we need to decide if it’s possible to play from the beginning or be on the bench and have the possibility to maybe play in the second half.”
Pulisic has not played much since the beginning of May: three substitute appearances for AC Milan and no more than 62 minutes in three U.S. roles spanning friendlies and the World Cup. If he were to sit out again Thursday, he would have logged just 45 minutes in 24 days leading to the round of 32.
Pulisic played down such a situation, saying, “I don’t think that’s enough time to lose sharpness. I’ve been touching the ball every day and whatnot. I’m working a lot. Get a couple training sessions in, I’d say I’ll feel ready.”
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He had played a starring role in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12 but left at halftime after aggravating a left calf injury. He worked almost exclusively with athletic trainers last week and revealed Wednesday that he had been close to returning for the 2-0 win over Australia last Friday in Seattle.
“I was pushing, and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game, for sure,” he said.
Scratched from the active roster, Pulisic watched from the bench as the U.S. won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1930.
“It was obviously a different set of emotions, for sure, not being able to play, but I enjoyed just being on the sideline, being around the team,” he said. “I wanted to be there and just still living that World Cup game. I obviously just couldn’t be happier and prouder of how the guys handled that whole situation. I had faith in them.”
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In Pulisic’s place, Ricardo Pepi partnered with Folarin Balogun on the frontline.
This week, Pulisic rejoined his teammates for daily training sessions at Great Park Sports Complex.
With no consequences against Türkiye and four starters carrying yellow cards — another would result in a one-game suspension — Pochettino is expected to make numerous lineup changes.
“The easy answer is for them not to play from the beginning,” he said. He did not rule out using them at some point in the match, but from a practical standpoint, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun will remain on the bench.
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There is also the matter of resting players who have played most, if not all, minutes in the first two matches.
“Everyone on this team is ready to step up, so I feel like it would just be a normal thing for us” if Pochettino turns to a reserve-heavy lineup, Pulisic said. “We’re going to support and push everyone the same way, whoever gets the opportunity tomorrow to play, whatever the decisions may be.”
He added, “I see what this team can do. We have depth. We have really strong players in a lot of positions. I don’t need to do everything. It’s such a strong team. Everyone has each other’s backs. That’s what’s so fun about it.”
