Christian Pulisic made his return to the field for the United States on Thursday night, entering as a substitute early in the second half of the Americans' 3-2 loss to Turkey at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The sellout crowd greeted him with a massive roar, marking his first game action in 13 days after a calf injury.
Pulisic's Impact and Near Goal
Pulisic immediately looked comfortable, contributing to several strong attacks and coming close to scoring shortly after his entrance in the 58th minute. In the 63rd minute, his quick shot in traffic was deflected off the goalpost by Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. He also delivered an excellent pass to Ricardo Pepi in injury time, but Pepi could not get a shot off. Despite the loss, the primary objective was preparation for the World Cup knockout stage.
Injury Comeback and Team Context
Pulisic had played dynamically in the first half of the Americans' tournament-opening 4-1 victory over Paraguay nearly two weeks ago, creating one goal and assisting on another. However, he came off at halftime due to a calf injury picked up in training. He missed the next match against Australia and sat out the first half against Turkey before entering as a substitute.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said, "His goal was to get some minutes to be ready for next week. I'm happy because I think he made a good impact when he was on the pitch."
Pulisic's Confidence and Teammate Praise
Pulisic did not speak to reporters after the match but told Fox, "I felt good, so it was really nice to be back with the team and get some minutes. I felt good with the ball. It was a tough way to end for us, for sure. But at the end of the day, we win the group, and we just have to look forward to next week."
Teammate Sebastian Berhalter praised Pulisic: "You saw his quality, and you saw when he came in the impact he had. He's our guy. He's a leader in his own right."
The Decisive Sequence
The match's final kick saw Turkey score the winning goal after a moment of brilliance from 21-year-old Real Madrid star Arda Güler. Boxed into the corner by two Americans, Güler flicked the ball between Pulisic's legs—a nutmeg—and ran around him, creating space. Salih Ozcan then kicked a long cross to Can Uzun, who slipped the ball under goalkeeper Matt Turner to Kaan Ayhan for the goal.
Looking Ahead to World Cup Knockouts
The loss did not affect the Americans' group standing, as they had already won the group. The U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday. Pulisic's presence energized the American attack, and his teammates are optimistic. U.S. captain Weston McKennie told Fox, "(Pulisic) is a special player. There's no doubt that he adds something to the group. He adds his 1-on-1 qualities. Whenever the game might look dry or the game isn't creative or something, he can come in and be that player to create something out of thin air. It was good to see him back on the pitch. Hopefully we'll see him again in San Francisco."
