SEATTLE — U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that Christian Pulisic’s availability for Friday’s World Cup group-stage match against Australia will be determined after a final discussion with the team’s medical staff.
The uncertainty keeps a spotlight on the tournament co-hosts as they monitor the fitness of their top attacking player, who is dealing with a calf problem.
Pulisic started the Americans’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay last week but was substituted at halftime after picking up the issue. According to Pochettino, the forward first took a knock to his left calf and was later kicked in the same area, prompting the coaching staff to remove him as a precaution.
Since then, Pulisic has trained on his own throughout the week. He has been seen working in the gym and doing light ball work with members of the technical staff rather than participating fully with the squad. On both Wednesday and Thursday, he was also seen wearing a sleeve on his left calf.
“Tonight, the day before the game, we have a meeting with our medical area and we will assess the whole group, the players, and tomorrow we will communicate on the things that we cannot agree on tonight,” Pochettino said Thursday. “He’s involved, he’s much better from Friday. We’ll see.”
Several U.S. players and staff members have indicated over the past week that the injury is not considered serious, and Pochettino echoed that view ahead of the match.
“The good thing [is] that after three, four weeks working together, only we have one doubt for tomorrow,” Pochettino said.
The coach did not offer hints on who might play in Pulisic’s place if the forward is not available to start against Australia, but he did admit he was weighing his options.
“At the moment, we are evaluating all the possibilities just in case, and then we will decide when we have the confirmation in one or another direction tonight,” he said.
Pulisic’s teammates have spent the last week hoping he would be available for Friday’s game against Australia, a crucial Group D matchup that will help decide who tops the group in a week’s time, noting the effort the attacker has put in to be fit for the match.
“As far as recovery, I don’t really know, to be fair,” midfielder Weston McKennie said earlier on Thursday. “‘m more just the energy guy, either way just trying to just give good spirits and hopefully he can be in tomorrow. I know he really wants to be in and he’s doing everything that he can and the staff is everything that they can. That’s another question that’s probably better to ask [Pochettino] rather than be. I’m in my own la la land.”
The star, though, appears to be in good spirits despite the prospect of missing out on an important game as the U.S. team targets a statement-making run this summer.
“Mentally, he’s great,” McKennie said. “He’s being able to play in a World Cup and he’s here on home soil, family is out here. I think we’re not staying at a bad hotel, to wake up and see the beach so it’s really hard for someone’s mental game to be messed up in these types of conditions and U.S. Soccer and all the guys are around, we’re like a big family so we’re always there to pick someone up if they’re down and to excel them even further if they’re not so I think he’s doing good mentally.”
