The 34-year-old Neymar has been sidelined for about a month since injuring the muscle on May 17 while playing for Santos. He trained alone on the sideline on Tuesday and joined teammates briefly on Wednesday, but he has not yet made his World Cup debut and has been ruled out of Brazil's next Group C match against Haiti on Friday.
Brazil may keep Neymar out for the entire group stage in hopes of having him ready for the knockout rounds. The five-time champions opened with a 1-1 draw against Morocco on Saturday and still have Haiti on Friday and Scotland on June 24. Neymar has not appeared for Brazil's senior national team since Oct. 17, 2023, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during a South American World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.
Pulisic, 27, initially hurt his calf last week in training and aggravated it during the United States' World Cup opener, a 4-1 win over Paraguay that forced him out by halftime. It remains unclear whether he will be available for the U.S. Group D matchup against Australia on Friday.
Both players appear to be dealing with calf strains. Neymar reportedly has a second-degree calf strain, a classification that typically points to a more significant muscle tear than a mild pull. Recovery timelines and on-field effectiveness for both stars remain uncertain as Brazil and the U.S. push through the group stage.
