U.S. forward Christian Pulisic has been diagnosed with a microfracture and bone bruise in his right leg, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Thursday. Pulisic underwent X-ray and MRI scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks. The federation and AC Milan are working collaboratively on his rehabilitation plan.
The injury occurred during the United States' 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday in Seattle. In the 54th minute, while lining up a shot at the edge of the 18-yard box, Pulisic kicked the foot of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans. Although he initially attempted to play through the injury, he was visibly limping and was substituted in the 59th minute.
Pulisic, 27, finished his second World Cup with one assist in four matches. His tournament availability had been a point of criticism, as he exacerbated a calf injury sustained before the World Cup during the opening match against Paraguay, which limited his action until the group-stage finale against Turkey. Despite the setback, he is expected to resume training before AC Milan's Serie A opener against Torino on August 23.
Following the loss, Pulisic expressed his gratitude to supporters on Instagram, stating that while the team's performance was not good enough in the end, he felt blessed to be part of the team. He noted that the memories of the summer will last a lifetime and that this is just the start for the team and for soccer in America.