Christian Pulisic named on USA bench for group finale against Turkiye
Christian Pulisic has been named among the substitutes for the United States’ group-stage finale against Turkiye in Inglewood as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has made nine changes to the side that secured top spot in Group D with a victory over Australia last Friday.
Brenden Aaronson occupies the left-wing position usually held by the AC Milan forward, while Matt Turner replaces Matthew Freese in goal.
Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi are the only two players to retain their starting roles following the recent 2-0 triumph.
Injury struggles and recovery
The former Chelsea attacker has been managing a left calf issue since sustaining a knock in early June.
He attempted to play through the discomfort against Paraguay but was withdrawn at half-time after suffering another impact in the same area.
That setback forced the 25-year-old to miss the subsequent win over the Australians, though he returned to full training earlier this week.
“I’m feeling good. I joined the team the last couple days and yeah, I’m hoping to play a part for sure.”
Christian Pulisic
However, the American captain conceded to reporters that he is currently unlikely to be ready to complete a full 90 minutes.
Suspension risks force tactical shuffle
Pochettino opted to protect several key figures who were sitting on yellow cards and risked suspension for the knockout stages.
Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson were all deliberately omitted from the starting XI to avoid potential bans.
Meanwhile, midfielder Cristian Roldan has been left out of the matchday squad entirely as he recovers from a muscle strain.
Despite the sweeping alterations, the US talisman remains highly confident in the depth of the national squad.
“Everyone’s going to be ready and it just shows how much more depth and what a strong team that we have.”
Christian Pulisic
