Christian Pulisic suffered a microfracture and bone bruise in his leg during the United States' 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup last 16 on Monday, US Soccer announced. The Milan forward was subbed out in the second half in Seattle after the injury and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. US Soccer said the federation and Milan are working collaboratively on his rehab plan.
Injury Details and Reaction
Pulisic underwent X-ray and MRI scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury. After the match, he told journalists: "I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play … I have time to rest. It's just unfortunate way to finish." The comments drew criticism from some pundits. Carli Lloyd, former US women's national team star and Fox analyst, tweeted: "You rest when your playing career is over. Period." Landon Donovan, former US men's captain, said on his Unfiltered Soccer podcast: "The reality is, [Pulisic] came out of a World Cup knockout game at home, with his leg still intact … you would have had to fucking drag me off the field."
World Cup Campaign
Pulisic's injury-hit World Cup was a disappointment for the Americans' run to the last 16. He played brilliantly in the opening 45 minutes of a 4-1 win over Paraguay but was removed at half-time after aggravating a left-calf injury, causing him to miss a 2-0 win over Australia. He came on as a substitute in a 3-2 loss to Turkey and started but was only occasionally dangerous in a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32.
