Christian Pulisic injury diagnosis revealed after USMNT World Cup exit
The United States star was forced off the 59th minute of a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.
USMNT forward Christian Pulisic has been diagnosed with a microfracture to his leg, stemming from a challenge in the 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday.
Pulisic was forced off in the 59th minute of the crucial World Cup round of 16 game, a comprehensive defeat that saw the US eliminated from the tournament. At the time Pulisic faced some criticism for his premature exit from the game but new reports have revealed the extend of the injury.
A statement from the USMNT claims that Pulisic sustained a “microfracture and bone bruise of the tibia/fibula” as a result of the tackle from Belgium’s Youri Tielemans. Pulisic was seen on crutches the following day and has been ruled out for several weeks.
Pulisic criticized for sub-par World Cup
Expectations of Christian Pulisic with the national team have always been high, ever since making his Bundesliga debut with Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17. An inconsistent spell with Chelsea was followed by an uptick in form at AC Milan and it was hoped that he could have a real impact for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup.
However he went into the tournament off the back of a dry spell with Milan, failing to score for the Italian giants since December 2025. He opened the World Cup with an impressive 45 minutes against Paraguay but was forced off due to injury, missing the subsequent game against Australia as a result.
He ends the tournament with one assist and zero goals across four appearances, a disappointing return from the biggest star of this US generation. US soccer legend Carli Lloyd criticized Pulisic’s performances after the loss to Belgium, saying that the team’s “big-time players” needed to step up in crucial moments.
“I gotta be honest: I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic,” Lloyd said. “Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game — and, really, the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.”
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