Is Christian Pulisic hurt? USMNT star injury concern sparked by halftime substitution

Is Christian Pulisic hurt? USMNT star injury concern sparked by halftime substitution originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The United States had almost everything go right on Friday night in a 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The only thing that seemed even a bit of a concern was the fact that Christian Pulisic exited the game at halftime, substituted off for Sebastian Berhalter. It turns out it was injury-related.

All the tone after the game makes it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but in a tournament where every game matters and the conditions on the pitch could be grueling as the calendar approaches summer, it’s also not something to scoff it.

The United States put itself in great position with a 3-0 halftime lead to be cautious with Pulisic, but it does raise a question going forward.

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Is Christian Pulisic hurt?

Pulisic was at least a little hurt at the point in time he was subbed off.

The USMNT star told reporters he had taken a kick to the back of the left calf.

“I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic said. “Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days. Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I’ve had similar things before and I’m staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything at all.”

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United States coach Mauricio Pochettino added that “we didn’t want to take any risks.”

Certainly with the 3-0 lead, that was the right approach.

Pulisic was a nightmare for Paraguay’s defense in the first half, consistently breaking them down.

The U.S. will hope that everything is indeed all good, because that level of Pulisic can make the USMNT very dangerous in this tournament.

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