Christian Pulisic shares encouraging injury update ahead of USA clash with Turkey

Christian Pulisic has declared himself "great" following a calf injury that sidelined him for one World Cup 2026 match, expressing his strong desire to feature for the U.S. in their crucial final group stage encounter against Turkey on Thursday night.

The AC Milan midfielder delivered a dynamic first-half performance in the Americans' commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay to kick off their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago. However, he was substituted at halftime after a training injury flared up.Pulisic revealed he was close to playing in the U.

S.' 2-0 win over Australia last Friday but was held back to ensure he reached full fitness for upcoming fixtures. He has since rejoined his teammates for practice this week, having spent the previous week working out individually before the team's trip to Seattle."

I'm hoping to play a part in (the match against Turkey), for sure," Pulisic stated during the U.S. training session Wednesday at Great Park.

"I’ll discuss that with my coaches and the medical staff. Obviously not a good chance I’ll probably go and play 90 (minutes) right away after you come back and miss a game, but we’ll see."Pulisic has rejoined his teammates for practice this week (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio)U.

S. coach Mauricio Pochettino hasn't said how he will treat the final group match, which is meaningless for both teams. The Americans are locked into first place in their group, while Turkey has been eliminated from knockout-round contention.

Pulisic hopes the plan includes at least some playing time for him as the U.S. ramps up for its Round-of-32 match in Santa Clara, California, on July 1.

While Pulisic's calf injury robbed him of one chance on the World Cup stage, he felt certain he wouldn't be out for long.“I never feared anything worse,” Pulisic said. “I was pushing, and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game, for sure.

I did feel a little something (against Paraguay), but I definitely was able to push through in the f