Pulisic started the action that led to the early opener and later assisted Folarin Balogun's first goal of the night. In only his fifth World Cup appearance, Pulisic has now posted four goal contributions in the competition, matching Clint Dempsey's career mark and sitting one behind Landon Donovan. Pulisic had scored or assisted all three USMNT goals at the 2022 World Cup.
Pulisic's night ended at halftime when Mauricio Pochettino replaced him with Sebastian Berhalter, immediately raising fitness concerns. Pochettino confirmed a minor calf issue and called the withdrawal mostly precautionary.
He received a kick in his calf. On the end of the first half he started to feel tight [his calf] and we didn't want to take any risk, and it was difficult for him to walk. But we hope it's not a big issue, and he can be ready for the next one.
Pulisic echoed that outlook after the match.
I just got a bit of a kick in the first half. So I'm really hoping that it's nothing. I'm taking a little bit of precautions today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine in the next few days. My calf area. But I've had similar things before, and yeah, I'm staying positive.
The USMNT next faces Australia on Friday in Seattle, with Pulisic expected to push his World Cup resume further if he clears the calf concern.
