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Never one to be described as particularly verbose, Christian Pulisic gave a brief answer when asked whether he'd be fit for the U.S. men's national team's World Cup group stage finale against Türkiye on Thursday: "Yes."
Pulisic energized the USMNT's opening match against Paraguay with a brilliant first-half display, leaving Juan Cáceres in his wake after contributing to two of his team's three goals before the break. However, the U.S. star did not return for the second half.
A knock to the leg worsened a pre-existing problem for Pulisic, who tightened up during the halftime interval. Restricted to solo training sessions over the following week, the U.S. forward was left out of Friday's hard-fought contest against Australia.
That victory, combined with Paraguay's win over Türkiye, sealed the USMNT's position as Group D champions, making Thursday's match a meaningless affair against a side already knocked out of the tournament. With the bracket opening up for Pochettino's squad, several high-stakes matches could lie ahead. Even if Pulisic is fit, should he feature?
What Injury Is Christian Pulisic Carrying?
Pochettino disclosed that the call to withdraw Pulisic at halftime against Paraguay was made late, and even after two weeks of monitoring the problem, he still wasn't entirely certain what had occurred.
"I took a big kick to the calf a couple of days before the [first] game," Pulisic later explained. "Throughout the first half [against Paraguay], I felt fine, and then I started to feel it a little, and I think adrenaline definitely got me through.
"I just think I had a pretty bad contusion, strain, whatever you want to call it. But yeah, again, it's been much better [now]."
Pulisic acknowledged that he was "really close" to being available for the match against Australia in Seattle but "just wasn't quite there." Now that he has returned to full fitness, how much time will Pochettino risk giving him?
Will Christian Pulisic Play Against Turkiye?
There are few games at a home World Cup that carry absolutely no stakes. Pulisic was keen to emphasize that winning remained the primary objective to carry momentum into the knockout rounds, but Pochettino is well known for utilizing his entire squad.
After rotating extensively during a historic 5–1 friendly demolition of Uruguay last November, Pochettino flatly rejected the notion of having "regulars" who occupy a fixed starting lineup. "I hate the 'no regular players' [question]," the Argentine said sharply. "What does this mean? It's USA playing, it's the national team. Stop with that mindset. Every time our decision to pick a starting XI, it's the U.S. men's national team playing."
It was significant that when he expressed his hope of the current USMNT squad becoming "heroes" this summer, he made a point of naming the two goalkeepers, Diego Kochen and Andrew Rick, who are not on the roster but have been training alongside the team. Everyone must feel involved, and there is every likelihood that they will be against Türkiye. Pulisic is certainly eager to get some minutes.
"Hopefully I'll be able to play a part tomorrow," the winger said. "I'll discuss that with my coaches and the medical staff. Obviously not a good chance I'll go and play 90 [minutes] right away ... but we'll see."
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Even if he doesn't get on the field, Pulisic isn't worried about losing his sharpness. "I don't think that's enough time to lose sharpness," he said. "I've been touching the ball every day, and whatnot. Like, I'm working a lot, so—get a couple training sessions in, I'd say I'll feel ready."