U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic is expected to be sidelined several weeks with a bone bruise and microfracture in his right leg.
Pulisic was injured during the team’s loss to Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday.
The Athletic first reported the specific injury and expected timeline of recovery for Pulisic, who likely will be able to resume training prior to AC Milan’s Serie A opener at Torino on Aug. 23.
With the U.S. trailing 2-1 in its round of 16 match on Monday in Seattle, Pulisic was lining up a shot at the edge of the 18-yard box in the 54th minute. Belgium captain Youri Tielemans stepped between the ball and Pulisic’s foot, leading to the American kicking Tielemans’ foot.
Pulisic initially stayed down to warrant a stoppage. He attempted to play through the injury but was visibly limping, and was subbed off in the 59th minute after Belgium took advantage of keeper Matt Freese’s blunder to extend their lead to 3-1.
Pulisic, 27, visibly was emotional on the sideline after being subbed off in the 4-1 loss. He finished his second World Cup with one assist in four matches.
“Tough to find the words. I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who believed. The support carried us all the way through,” Pulisic wrote Wednesday on Instagram.
“It simply wasn’t good enough from us in the end and I wanted to deliver so much more. I still feel blessed to be a part of this team. The memories this summer will last a lifetime. It’s just the start for us and for this sport in America.”
In the United States’ opening match vs. Paraguay, Pulisic exacerbated a calf injury sustained before the World Cup and came off at halftime. He didn’t return to action until the second half of the team’s group-stage finale vs. Turkey.
–Field Level Media
