IRVINE, Calif. — The reporters crane their necks, then gather ’round the team spokesman. The spokesman, having spoken with the head coach, says he needs a moment to collect his thoughts. After collecting them, he says that U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic will complete a “modified training session” and remains “day to day.”
In other words, no update on America’s most important lower extremity.
That was the scene Tuesday at Great Park here in Southern California — similar to the scene on Monday, and roughly what we expect again on Wednesday.
Pulisic, after starring for 45 minutes in the United States’ 2026 World Cup opener, exited the game at halftime. Ever since, his left calf area has become a source of great concern, inquiry and mystery.
Pulisic exits the USMNT’s World Cup opener (Photo: Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Speaking after the match, Pulisic and head coach Mauricio Pochettino explained that the 27-year-old winger had been kicked in the calf two days prior. Then, in the first half, he received another kick in a similar area. At halftime, they said, it got tight, so they decided, in Pulisic’s words, to “tak(e) a little bit of precaution today. But I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days.”
Pochettino also sounded optimistic. “I hope it’s not a big issue,” he said. So, the American party after Friday’s 4-1 win continued.
But then, on Monday, Pulisic trained separately from his U.S. teammates.
For roughly 20 minutes, as 25 U.S. players did possession drills on the field nearest to assembled media, Pulisic worked with two performance staffers in the far corner of a far field. He hopped from left to right and right to left. He did some single-leg jumps. By the time reporters and cameras were escorted away from the fields, Pulisic was back in a makeshift gym area.
Was it more precaution? Was it gamesmanship? Is there real concern? Will Pulisic be available for Friday’s match against Australia? How’s he doing?
Four teammates — two on Monday, two on Tuesday — sounded unconcerned.
“Christian will be ready, everyone, let’s relax,” midfielder Tyler Adams said Monday.
Tyler Adams offered a positive outlook on Christian Pulisic’s fitness. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter added Tuesday: “I’m sure he’ll be ready to go.”
But then, an hour later, Pulisic wasn’t even on the field for the 15 minutes of training that were open to media.
His mother and his agent were there, watching alongside other friends and family members of players. But Pulisic was in the gym, sheltered from sun and cameras, working individually with the U.S. team’s performance staff again.
So will he play?
Nobody knows, and a cynic would argue that’s the point.
Perhaps Pulisic and Pochettino know. But the Aussies don’t. And there’s no reason for U.S. Soccer to tell them — or even to provide any clues.
In fact, there are reasons to mess with Australia, via the media. There are reasons to send mixed messages. There are reasons to do what soccer coaches in Europe, South America, everywhere have done for decades.
There is a long history of subterfuge at World Cups — a long history of sharing injury information that isn’t exactly transparent or even accurate. In 2014, for example, ahead of a round of 16 match against Belgium, U.S. Soccer said that striker Jozy Altidore was “ready and available.” In reality, Altidore would later reveal, he had a grade 2 hamstring tear and wouldn’t have been fit until the latter stages of the tournament, if at all.
Nonetheless, everyone wondered about Altidore’s hamstring. Everyone talked about it. Everyone asked about it — just like they are asking about Pulisic’s left calf today.
David Beckham’s injured foot captivated England ahead of the 2002 World Cup. (John Peters / Manchester United via Getty Images)
There is also a long history of body parts driving news cycles. In Italy, there was Roberto Baggio’s hamstring leading up to the 1994 World Cup final. There were two English metatarsals — David Beckham’s in 2002 and Wayne Rooney’s in 2006. During the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Australian striker Sam Kerr’s calf became a “national obsession,” as The Sydney Morning Herald wrote. It got to the point that Kerr had to issue an Instagram statement saying she hoped her status would not become a “distraction” from the team’s objectives.
Pulisic’s calf, to be clear, has not gotten to that point.
It hasn’t even gotten to the point of Pulisic’s pelvis in 2022. Having suffered a pelvic contusion while scoring a decisive goal against Iran, Americans wondered about his status for three days leading into a knockout game against the Netherlands — until U.S. Soccer declared him fit on the eve of the match.
This time, the prevailing assumption, in part based on teammates’ words, is that Pulisic will be fine and ready to face Australia.
But you’ll also find people who suspect that the injury could be more worrisome than the team’s public words are letting on.
Or, perhaps, it is what it looks like: a not-insignificant concern that could dissipate by Friday or could linger throughout the tournament.
Either way, people close to Pulisic won’t say.
The team spokesman won’t elaborate on the nature of the injury.
The only safe bet is that the vagueness will likely continue, like it did with U.S. center back Chris Richards until the week of the World Cup opener.
Pulisic’s calf, therefore, will continue to draw craned necks on Wednesday in Irvine, on Thursday in Seattle, and maybe — hopefully not, but potentially — beyond.
