Mauricio Pochettino ‘hopeful’ over Christian Pulisic injury after USMNT win vs. Paraguay
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino faces an anxious wait over the injury status of Christian Pulisic, after the star attacker was substituted as halftime of the team’s rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay in its World Cup opener.
Pulisic himself described the situation as “taking precaution” after feeling tightness in his calf. With a 3-0 halftime lead, the team opted not to take any risks and he was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter. That calf will be closely monitored over the next week as the U.S. prepares to face Australia in Seattle on June 19.
“He received a kick before today (too) in a training session, we hope it’s not a big issue,” Pochettino said. “When he finished the first half, he could not walk.
“We’re hopeful the next game he’ll be available.”
What works into the U.S.’s favor is that at an expanded World Cup, the USMNT will have more time between games than in previous editions. There’s a full week separating the first and second Group D games for the co-hosts.
Pulisic has a bit of a checkered injury history, suffering calf and muscular problems in 2024-25, and small strains last season that led to brief layoffs. The USMNT will be desperate for him to make a speedy return to full fitness, especially given his importance to the team and his output Friday night.
“I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, I’m hoping that it’s nothing, taking precaution,” Pulisic said. “Staying positive, I don’t think it’s anything.”
“I’m gonna give everything I can to be back, that’s for sure. I’m not going to give you 100% — but yeah, I’ll be there.”
Christian Pulisic caught up with Tom Rinaldi after the @USMNT‘s 4-1 over Paraguay 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/qcSHWJss41
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 13, 2026
Pulisic dazzled the crowd over his 45 minutes and vexed Paraguay’s defenders. He helped create the first two goals, playing the ball to Weston McKennie on the Paraguay own goal that opened the scoring, and then assisting Folarin Balogun for the first of the striker’s two goals on the night.
As long as Pulisic does indeed recover smoothly the next few days, Friday can be considered an absolute dream start for the USMNT. It marked the first time the team had scored four goals in a World Cup in program history and already almost guarantees qualification to the knockout stage, though the group is aiming much higher than that.
“The players deserve big credit for the performance,” Pochettino said. “It’s not only to talk about names, it’s about the collective. The team was amazing.”
Pochettino preferred not to talk about specific players, despite it being a night of top individual performances.
“You want to push me to talk about names, but it’s about the collective performance,” Pochettino insisted. “Pulisic was amazing, of course.”
Pochettino then tried to name every player who played, to say they were amazing. “One thing we need today to praise is the collective effort and the approach of the game,” he said.
Pochettino did single out the U.S. crowd. The atmosphere was raucous at SoFi Stadium, as USMNT fans sought to make full use of a World Cup on home soil. A capacity crowd of 70,492 fans, with far more American support than Paraguayan, was rewarded with a stellar performance.
“The fans were amazing,” Pochettino said. “On behalf of the whole team, a massive thank you to the fans. The energy translated to the team was amazing.
“I’m so proud, we are all so proud. I think we’re winning fans, adding fans to this sport in America.”
Pochettino’s counterpart, Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro, cited the U.S.’s press as a disruptive factor on the night.
“Once we had the ball, we’d have quick pressure by the U.S.,” Alfaro said, via a translator. “The defenders of the U.S. were more ready than our forwards.
“We knew this game was going to be very complicated. The responsibility stands with us. The United States is a very good team, but this is our defeat. We should have found an answer.”
As for the USMNT, it will look to build on the momentum next week against Australia, which opens its tournament Saturday night against Turkey.
“The performance was really good,” Pochettino said. “We really played well. We’re so happy, but that is only the start.
“It’s only one game, it’s only three points,” Pochettino added.