INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Christian Pulisic, an attacker for the United States men’s national soccer team, started on the bench during their group-stage finale against Türkiye on Thursday, but came into the match in the 57th minute with the score level at 2-2.
The U.S. lineup was revealed a little over 75 minutes before kickoff, showing Pulisic among the substitutes. Brenden Aaronson filled Pulisic’s usual left wing position, while only Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi retained their starting roles from the previous match against Australia.
A total of nine changes were made from the squad that clinched top position in Group D with a victory over Australia last Friday. Notably, Matt Turner started in goal, taking over from Matthew Freese, who had played the first two games for the U.S.
Pulisic has been dealing with a left calf injury since he sustained a knock on June 10. He tried to play through it two days later but was limited to a half against Paraguay due to a hit on the same spot.
He missed the U.S. team’s second group match, which they won 2-0 against Australia, but returned to full training this week.
“I’m feeling good. I joined the team the last couple of days, and yeah, I’m hoping to play a part in [Thursday] for sure,” he told reporters on Wednesday. He acknowledged that he was “probably not ready” for a full 90 minutes.
Initially, it was thought that Pulisic would not be sidelined for long due to the injury, but the recovery took longer than expected. He expressed that watching rather than playing was an emotional experience.
“It was obviously a different set of emotions, not being able to play, but I enjoyed being on the sideline around the team,” he said. “I wanted to be there and still live that World Cup dream. I couldn’t be happier and prouder of how the guys handled everything. I had faith in them. It’s a great team to be part of, and I enjoy the experience a lot.”
U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino made several strategic decisions, keeping midfielder Tyler Adams, forward Folarin Balogun, center back Chris Richards, and left back Antonee Robinson out of the starting eleven due to yellow card accumulations that could lead to suspensions.
Midfielder Cristian Roldan, who was questionable to play because of a muscle strain, was also left out of the lineup.
“I think everyone on this team is ready to step up,” Pulisic added on Wednesday. “It would just be a normal thing for us. We’re going to support and push everyone, whoever gets the chance to play. It shows the depth and strength of our team.”
The United States already knows they will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 in Santa Clara, California, on July 1.