Christian Pulisic World Cup injury update: Pochettino says USMNT medical will evaluate before Australia match

Pulisic came off at halftime of the U.S. team's win over Paraguay with a calf issue and has not trained since

Jun 18, 2026 at 7:38 pm ET • 1 min read

SEATTLE – U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he will meet the medical staff on Thursday before he decides whether or not Christian Pulisic can play in Friday's World Cup group stage against Australia, a cloud of uncertainty continuing to loom over the tournament co-hosts as their star deals with a calf issue.

Pulisic started the USMNT's 4-1 win over Paraguay last week but after a strong performance, he came off at halftime with a calf issue. The forward suffered a knock in his left calf and then was kicked in the same place during the game, Pochettino pulling him at halftime as a precautionary measure. Pulisic, though, has trained individually all week and his status is still unclear for the game against Australia.