U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks with reporters at Seattle Stadium on June 18, 2026 ahead of his team's match with Australia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Stephanie Schroeder / FOX 13 Seattle)
SEATTLE - U.S. Men's National Team standout Christian Pulisic is still uncertain to play against Australia on Friday in Seattle.
Pulisic has trained separately from the rest of his U.S. teammates this week after being pulled at halftime of the Americans' 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Los Angles last Friday night. Pulisic took a bit of a "kick" to his left calf in training leading up to the match, and it tightened up on him during the first half of the contest. Pulisic remained on his own during Thursday morning's practice session at the University of Washington.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said that a decision on Pulisic's status will be made Thursday night with the team's medical staff.
"I think, as you know, he was training in an individual way the whole week, but like always, I think tonight, the day before the game, we have a meeting with our medical area and we will assess the whole group, the players, and tomorrow we will communicate," Pochettino said.
"He's evolving," he said of Pulisic. "He's much better from Friday. We'll see. I think, at the moment, we'll see. If he's not available for tomorrow, he'll be available for the next game. But I think he's doing a massive effort trying to be ready. I think for every single player that loves their country it's an amazing opportunity to enjoy and to help the team perform and to win games. When this type of thing happens, always it's painful, but I think Christian is strong and with great mentality and he's doing a fantastic effort to try to be ready as soon as possible."
Pulisic had an assist on the first of Folarin Balogun's two goals scored in the victory, and helped create the chance that resulted in an own-goal from Damián Bobadilla that gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead just seven minutes in. He was electric early in the match for the United States and would be a significant loss if unavailable to play against the Socceroos.
Sebastian Berhalter subbed on in place of Pulisic at halftime of the win over Paraguay, but he wouldn't be the only option available to Pochettino on Friday. Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah would be wing options Pochettino could turn to in Pulisic's absence.
Additionally, Gio Reyna delivered a highlight-reel goal in the closing seconds of stoppage time for the U.S. after entering the match as a second half substitute. Reyna may not be the ideal role fit compared to Pulisic, but his offensive skill could be a boost to the lineup in a different focus.
Pochettino wasn't giving any hints away as to what choice he would make if Pulisic doesn't play.
"I will tell tomorrow if that is the situation," he said. "At the moment, we are evaluating all the possibilities just in case and then we will decide when we have the confirmation on direction tonight."
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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