Christian Pulisic should return for USMNT against Turkiye, says former coach
After the USMNT clinched their group for the first time since 2010, there are questions as to whether Christian Pulisic should return from his left calf injury before the Americans reach the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup.
One former coach believes the answer is obvious.
Gregg Berhalter, who coached the USMNT from 2018-2024, says that if Pulisic is healthy, he should participate in what will be a tune-up match for the U.S against Group D foe Turkiye.
“I think you just do return to play,” said Berhalter on FanDuel Sports Network. “You go through the steps and you see where he’s at. If he’s ready to go, I would say you want to play him.”
Berhalter’s reasoning is simple: there would be too long of a layoff between games if Pulisic was to sit for a second consecutive match. Pulisic last played on June 12 during a 4-1 USA win over Paraguay to open the World Cup. If he doesn’t play against Turkiye, his next opportunity would come after a 19-day gap on July 1.
“You don’t want that much time,” added Berhalter. “And it may not be the whole game, but you want to give him an opportunity to play based on his health.”
More: Who is Replacing Christian Pulisic in the USMNT Starting Lineup vs Australia?
Pulisic was injured during the first half of his team’s win over the Paraguayans and was sidelined for the entire second half. He did not participate in the USMNT’s training leading into their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday and his status remains in question for the game against the Turks.
With that said, Pulisic should be ready to return, based on what head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters earlier this week.
“They have a strict return to play protocol,” said Berhalter. “So they’re taking him through the necessary steps and you want to keep progressing him to the point where he can get on the field. Whenever that timeline is.”
The Americans will need Pulisic at full health if they expect to put their best foot forward in the knockout round in a couple of weeks. The 27-year-old is one of the team’s top performers, having become the fastest USMNT player to reach 50 goal contributions in program history, doing so on Nov. 18, 2024, per U.S. Soccer.
Replacing Pulisic during the win over Australia was Ricardo Pepi, who finished the match with 25 touches and a couple of shots. The 23-year-old made his World Cup debut against Paraguay, and his first-ever World Cup start came against the Australians.
The USMNT will take on Turkiye on Thursday at 10 p.m.
