USMNT Shares Why Christian Pulisic Is Not Playing vs. Japan Friday

The U.S. men’s national team gets a major tune-up for this winter’s World Cup on Friday morning, when it faces Japan in a friendly. The biggest name on this year’s USMNT squad, Christian Pulisic, is nowhere to be found on the team’s roster for the match.

Minutes after posting Friday’s lineup, the official USMNT Twitter account shared an update on Pulisic’s status during this crucial point in World Cup preparation.

“Christian Pulisic is off today’s roster because of a knock he took in training earlier this week,” the team said. “He will be evaluated day-to-day for his availability to play against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27 in Murcia, Spain.”

Steven Goff of The Washington Post reported that Pulisic would be in the lineup if Friday were a World Cup match, but the team is taking precautions as it is a friendly.

The USMNT kicks off against Japan in Düsseldorf, Germany at 8:26 a.m. ET. The team will take on Saudi Arabia next Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, before opening World Cup play on Nov. 21 against Wales.