IRVINE, Calif. — If the U.S. soccer team were preparing for a friendly or the next match in a regional tournament, Christian Pulisic’s ailing left calf would still create a stir. He is, after all, Mauricio Pochettino’s most influential attacker, and his availability for anything large or small impacts preparations.
But this is the World Cup, where everything is magnified by a million. And so five days since getting hurt in the opener against Paraguay — and two days before the Australia clash in Seattle — Pulisic was the focus of attention for the third consecutive training session Wednesday at Great Park Sports Complex.
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Like the previous two days, Pulisic was in the tented gym adjacent to the practice pitch working with the athletic trainers while his teammates loosened up together. Unlike the previous two days, however, he emerged while reporters were still able to observe the session and began doing light ball work with a trainer.
A moment later, with the typical 15-minute observation window closing, media was escorted from the scene.
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For all anyone knows, Pulisic proceeded to go all out in training. More likely, though, he cautiously continued his rehabilitation in hopes of playing Friday at Lumen Field.
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His status remains day to day, spokesman Michael Kammarman said.
Pulisic is not scheduled for an interview session leading to the match. Pochettino isn’t due to face reporters again until Thursday afternoon in Seattle.
Christian Pulisic of the United States practices on his own, away from other players, during a training session for the 2026 World Cup at Great Sports Park on June 17, 2026 in Irvine, California.
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
Before Wednesday’s session, midfielder Brenden Aaronson said: “We’re really hoping Christian’s going to be back, of course. I don’t really know what’s going on in particular, but we know he’s doing his all to get back into the team and be there for the game, so we’ll see.”
Left back Antonee Robinson added, “We’ve still got a couple of days to see where he’s at. Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of boys on the bench who are eager and ready to get involved.”
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Aiming to put it into perspective, Robinson said, “It’s a long tournament. If we don’t have him back for the game, then we’re going to make sure we have him back for the rest of the way, because we’re going to need him as we’re going to need everyone. But hopefully we have everyone available.”
Pulisic exited at halftime of the 4-1 victory at SoFi Stadium after getting kicked in a spot he had hurt in training a few days earlier. Both he and Pochettino did not make much of it, and when training resumed Monday, the team expressed optimism about him being available, if not starting, against Australia.
On Monday, Pochettino said Pulisic was “good.”
On Tuesday, winger Tim Weah said “I think he’ll be ready for the game and ready to be with the team, so just praying to God he feels 100 percent fit. He’ll be needed.”
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Pulisic is benefitting from a seven-day gap between matches. (The U.S. will have six days between the second and third games.) At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the Americans played three times in nine days. The World Cup’s broader format (48 teams instead of 32) and longer calendar (39 days instead of 29) has loosened the schedule.
On Friday, Sebastian Berhalter replaced Pulisic. Although it wasn’t a like-for-like change — Pulisic attacks on the flank, Berhalter plays centrally — the 3-0 U.S. lead undoubtedly played into the move.
Without Pulisic, the U.S. continued to generate opportunities but didn’t score again until Gio Reyna’s late strike.
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“We had to shift people over to different positions, and I felt like we were still threatening and still creating chances,” Robinson said. “We just didn’t convert them. We could have scored a lot more.”
This isn’t the first time Pulisic’s status has created such intrigue. In 2022, he suffered a pelvic contusion while scoring against Iran in the group finale. Four days later, he started in the Round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands.
The U.S. was scheduled to fly to Seattle on Wednesday afternoon and train at the University of Washington on Thursday.
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