Overview
- Pulisic injured his right leg when his foot struck Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while shooting in the round-of-16 match and was substituted after limping in the 59th minute of the game on Monday.
- X‑ray and MRI scans performed the following Tuesday revealed a bone bruise and a microfracture of the tibia and fibula, a diagnosis U.S. Soccer confirmed publicly on Thursday.
- U.S. Soccer said Pulisic would be unavailable for any further World Cup matches if the U.S. had advanced and that AC Milan and the federation will collaborate on his recovery plan.
- Multiple outlets report the injury will sideline Pulisic for several weeks rather than months, with the working goal of resuming training ahead of AC Milan’s Serie A opener on August 23.
- The diagnosis changes the public narrative after critics questioned his early exit and postgame comment about ‘having time to rest,’ and it adds to a pattern of calf and leg issues that disrupted his World Cup minutes.