Team USA’s Pulisic suffered leg fracture in World Cup round against Belgium
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesForward Christian Pulisic added injury to insult in America’s 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday.
On Thursday, multiple reports indicated that the attacker suffered a microfracture in his leg during the defeat.
Pulisic missed a group stage match with a calf injury and left the Belgium game in the 59th minute after injuring his leg.
He spent five minutes trying to play through the leg injury, which he suffered after colliding with Belgium captain Youri Tielemans.
The U.S. was trailing 2-1 at the time before a costly error by American goalkeeper Matt Freese let the Belgians extend their lead.
“I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” Pulisic said after the loss. “I have time to rest. It’s just [an] unfortunate way to finish.”
The U.S. squad has not advanced past the World Cup’s round of 16 since a quarterfinal run during the 2002 tournament.
Pulisic, who plays for Italian club AC Milan, is regarded by many as the biggest star on the American national team. However, he failed to score during this year’s North American-hosted World Cup. He recorded a single assist and two shots on target in four matches.
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The 27-year-old faced staunch criticism from American fans and analysts for his underwhelming performance.
Landon Donovan, who scored 57 goals for Team USA during international play from 2000-2014, said on his “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast,
“The facts are the facts, and the reality is the reality. … Three of his last seven World Cup games, he’s left injured. You can call it coincidence, bad luck, whatever. He only played about half the minutes. … The reality is, he’s scored one goal since December.”
Pulisic is expected to miss four to six weeks, according to multiple reports. AC Milan opens the Serie A season on Aug. 23.
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Liam Griffin
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