Mauricio Pochettino Comments on Christian Pulisic Injury After Concerning Scene

The USMNT midfielder had been dealing with an ankle injury in camp.

Christian Pulisic (middle) lasted just 26 minutes against Australia. / John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic was substituted 28 minutes in the World Cup host nation’s October friendly against Australia with an apparent lower leg injury.

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino commented on the injury after the game: “He felt something in his hamstring. Tomorrow, he will fly to Italy. Tonight, we will assess. We cannot say anything at the moment.”

Pulisic was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle in the first half, but was able to push on. Minutes later, Australia defender Jason Geria tactically fouled Pulisic to prevent a break.

The USMNT attacker stayed down waiting for treatment as supporters in the ground and watching from home held their breath. As he got up, Pochettino did not hesitate to make a change bringing on Diego Luna.

Pulisic was seen heading back to the locker room after coming off.

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Christian Pulisic being led straight to the #USMNT locker room after being forced out of tonight’s match with an apparent right ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/hTycDicMJM

— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) October 15, 2025

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It’s a sour end to the international break for Pulisic. The AC Milan man was in top form coming into the October international break, but only played roughly 50 minutes across both games. An ankle injury kept him out of the starting lineup against Ecuador, resigned to a cameo off the bench.

His appearance in the XI to face Australia was a positive, but the injury is cause for concern. Haji Wright was able to restore some good feeling scoring an equalizer shortly after Luna replaced Pulisic.

The USMNT went on to defeat Australia marking their third straight game unbeaten against FIFA top 25 opposition. An overall positive window for Mauricio Pochettino, but fans hope for some good news on the Pulisic front so he can potentially feature come the November break.

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