Christian Pulisic, a forward for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT), will “hopefully” play against the Netherlands, according to head coach Gregg Berhalter.
At the decisive 1-0 victory over Iran during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Pulisic scored the game-winning goal for the United States and was later transported to the hospital with an abdomen ailment.
In an email to CNN, a US Soccer representative said that Pulisic underwent medical examinations but “was not hospitalized” after colliding with the Iranian goalkeeper after scoring his goal.
The team announced on social media that Pulisic has a pelvic injury. He can play on a daily basis.
“He seems to be doing good, just spoke with him a couple of minutes ago,” Berhalter told CNN This Morning on Wednesday.
“Hopefully, he’ll be ready for the game against the Netherlands. But in terms of his contribution to the group, I’ve said all along that when one of your most talented players is also one of your hardest workers, you know you’re in a good spot.”
As the team made their way back to the team hotel, Pulisic was waiting for them. The 24-year-old can be seen with a big smile using a cellphone to record his teammates passing past a crowd of supporters in the lobby in a video that USMNT officials uploaded on Twitter.
“So f**king proud of my men I’ll be ready Saturday, don’t worry,” Pulisic’s post read on a photo of him in what appears to be a hospital bed that was tweeted by the World Cup host channel FOX Sports. The Fox Sports tweet was reposted on Twitter by the US Men’s National Soccer Team.
When Pulisic wrote on his verified Instagram, “No words to convey what this means to us!” he avoided addressing his current situation. Going @usmnt now
In a tense Group B match at Qatar 2022, the USMNT defeated Iran by a score of 1-0 to advance to the knockout rounds.
The USMNT advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2014 thanks to Pulisic’s first-half goal, which was the only difference between the two teams.
Pulisic quickly returned to the field, but it was obvious that the injury was still bothering him. Pulisic was named man of the match despite just participating in the first half.
The USMNT will be hopeful that their best player, who some refer to as “Captain America,” will be healthy for the round of 16 match on Saturday. The United States will compete against the Netherlands, the No. 8-ranked team in the world, as the Group B runner-up.
