​U.S. star Christian Pulisic fractured his right leg during the Americans’ World Cup defeat to Belgium and will be out for several weeks, a person familiar with the injury said Thursday. The disclosure, initially reported by The Athletic, was shared with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the U.S. Soccer Federation had not yet announced the diagnosis.
The insider indicated that Pulisic has sustained a bone bruise along with a microfracture of the tibia and fibula. Despite the severity, the source suggested he should be able to return to training ahead of AC Milan’s Serie A season opener at Torino on August 23.
The injury occurred when Pulisic inadvertently struck a leg belonging to Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot in the 52nd minute of Monday’s 4-1 round-of-16 loss in Seattle. Although he continued playing, Pulisic was visibly hobbling, and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter came on to replace him in the 59th minute.
During the World Cup, Pulisic did not find the back of the net in any of the Americans’ matches. He missed one game due to a calf issue and also left two other games early. Across his international career, Pulisic has accumulated 30 goals in 90 appearances for the United States.
Heading into his fourth season with Milan, Pulisic is set to turn 28 in September. The team and its supporters will be hopeful that this injury does not derail his readiness for the upcoming campaign, given his importance to both club and country. The extent of the recovery timeline remains to be fully clarified by medical staff, but the expectation remains that he can rejoin team activities and gradually ramp up training in the weeks ahead.