​Christian Pulisic of the United States sustained a fractured right leg in the team’s World Cup defeat to Belgium, with the injury expected to sideline him for several weeks. An anonymous source, whose information was first reported by The Athletic, confirmed on Thursday that Pulisic suffered both a bone bruise and a microfracture to his tibia and fibula. The US Soccer Federation has not yet officially announced the diagnosis.
The injury occurred in the 52nd minute of Monday’s 4-1 round-of-16 loss in Seattle, when Pulisic collided with Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot. He remained on the field briefly but was visibly hobbling, which led to his substitution in the 59th minute by Sebastian Berhalter. Pulisic’s injury was described as serious, and he is expected to return to training before AC Milan’s Serie A season opener against Torino on August 23.
Pulisic’s World Cup campaign did not see him scoring a goal and included a calf injury that caused him to miss one match, with another two matches ending prematurely for him. The 27-year-old, who will turn 28 in September, has 30 goals in 90 international appearances and is entering his fourth season with AC Milan.
The United States began the World Cup with positive momentum despite concerns over Pulisic’s fitness. He was substituted at halftime in the opening 4-1 win over Paraguay due to a calf issue and subsequently missed the 2-0 victory over Australia. Mauricio Pochettino, who rotated his squad for the final group game after securing top position, watched the U.S. stumble to a 3-2 defeat.
In the Round of 32, the United States earned a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but star striker Folarin Balogun was sent off after a VAR review. Balogun, who had been set to serve a one-match ban, saw the ban suspended following intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump, allowing him to be available for the last-16 match against Belgium.
Balogun’s inclusion in the USA lineup for the Belgium game drew attention and did not resonate with fans as the team fell 4-1 to the European rival. As a result, Belgium advanced to the quarterfinals to face Spain on Friday. The injury to Pulisic, meanwhile, figures to be a major consideration for the U.S. team as they plan for the remainder of the tournament and for his rehabilitation with AC Milan ahead of the 2023-24 season.