Christian Pulisic being hauled off at halftime is the kind of thing that makes every American football fan's stomach drop, even when their team is sitting pretty at 3-0. The AC Milan winger, who is comfortably the most recognisable name in the United States squad and arguably their best player, was replaced at the break during Friday's World Cup opener against Paraguay, and the early word is that it was precautionary rather than anything too serious.
The phrase everyone keeps hearing is "hoping it's nothing," which is both reassuring and absolutely not reassuring at all. That sort of language usually means the medical staff spotted something during the first half and decided the smart call was to protect him rather than push through it. Given that this is the World Cup and the USA will want Pulisic fresh and firing for the bigger games ahead, you can understand the logic completely.
On the positive side, the Americans were 3-0 up at the break, so there was no desperate need to keep him on. When you're that far ahead and your star man is carrying even a hint of a knock, getting him off the pitch is just good management. No point risking him for the last 45 minutes of a game that was already done and dusted.
Pulisic has had a frustrating relationship with injuries throughout his career, which makes this news a little more nerve-wracking than it might be for another player. He has shown at both Chelsea and AC Milan that when he is fully fit and confident, he can genuinely hurt teams at the highest level. The USA need him for the long haul here, not just the opener against Paraguay.
The hope is that this turns out to be nothing more than a bit of muscle tightness or a minor knock that clears up within a few days. If the USA are going to make a real go of this tournament on home soil, they are going to need Pulisic available and at his best. Everyone will be keeping a close eye on the team news over the coming days.
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