Christian Pulisic has been at the forefront of much of the criticism directed toward the USMNT after its lifeless 4-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium on home soil Monday night.
The star midfielder carried massive expectations as the face of American soccer heading into the tournament, but he was ultimately hampered by injuries, and his play suffered as a result.
That came to a head when he was substituted in the 59th minute against Belgium after kicking the back of a defender’s leg while attempting a shot just minutes earlier. Now, three days later, we’ve learned the exact nature of the injury Pulisic suffered, along with a recovery timeline.
Henry Bushnell, Paul Tenorio, and James Horncastle of The Athletic combined to write:
“U.S. forward Christian Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and microfracture in his leg during Monday’s World Cup loss to Belgium, and will be sidelined for several weeks but not months, multiple people briefed on the diagnosis told The Athletic.
Subsequent medical assessments revealed the extent of the injury to be a bone bruise and microfracture of the tibia/fibula, sources said. The estimated timeframe for Pulisic’s recovery puts him on track to return sometime in August, meaning he could be back in training ahead of the new Serie A season,”
The 27-year-old Pulisic was held without a goal and tallied one assist in four appearances at the World Cup.
Pulisic, of course, missed the Americans’ group-stage match against Australia with a separate calf injury and mentioned after Monday’s elimination that it was difficult having to deal with missing game action.
While it’s clear that Pulisic may not have been at full health throughout the tournament, that’s unlikely to soften the blow given the way he and the USMNT bowed out when having such a tremendous opportunity to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
