Christian Pulisic shined in the opening match of the World Cup against Paraguay


INGLEWOOD, California — The US team's opening match of the 2026 World Cup at home was very successful, but there was one notable incident. Christian Pulisic, star of American football, was not in the starting lineup in the second half. Coach Mauricio Pochettino decided to withdraw Pulisic after he had an excellent first half, contributing to two of the home team's three goals. The reason Pulisic had to come off the field was because he was "hit by a kick" in his left calf, as he himself shared after the 4-1 win over Paraguay. When asked about the extent of the injury, the 27-year-old said he hopes to play in the US team's next match next Friday against Australia. "I'm really hoping that it's not anything serious," Pulisic said. "I'm just taking a little precaution today, but I hope to be fine in a few days. I've had similar problems before. I'm staying positive. I don't think this is anything big." Pulisic "received a kick" two days ago during a training session, according to information from Pochettino. During the break, Pulisic "felt cold" and "felt it more clearly", leading to the coach's decision to make a last-minute substitution. "Now I think things are better and hopefully he will be available for the next match," Pochettino added. Despite concerns about Pulisic's health, this is still a near-perfect start for a US team with much bigger goals than just getting past the group stage. The US team scored three goals in the first half and had almost as many other chances, giving the crowd of 70,492 people reason to support this team. The first home match in 32 years attracted huge attention, with many stars such as Tom Cruise and David Beckham present in the VIP sections of SoFi Stadium. When the match started, all eyes were on Pulisic to see if he could live up to the great expectations. Pulisic, a four-time America's best men's player, has been the face of Fox's World Cup commercials for the past several months. His image appears everywhere, from billboards, magazine covers to the Santa Monica harbor, next to Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal. Although Pulisic struggled to score in the second half of the season with AC Milan, he has returned to his best form with the national team. He was the team's most dangerous player off the field, constantly creating scoring opportunities by taking on opposition players and penetrating the Paraguayan defense. The first goal of the match came in the seventh minute thanks to Pulisic's creativity. He passed two Paraguayan players, rushed into the penalty area and passed the ball to Weston McKennie. Then, Damian Bobadilla accidentally kicked the ball into his own net, creating a favorable start for the US team in this match. Pulisic also assisted the home team's second goal in the 31st minute, when he penetrated deep into the penalty area and made a cross pass to Folarin Balogun. Balogun, completely unmarked, gently slotted the ball into the far corner of the goal. When asked about Pulisic's performance, McKennie mentioned people "criticizing and worrying about whether he's in good form or not". McKennie said: "I've always said this and will continue to say it... the whole team does: Christian is the guy who always shows up in the big moments when you need him the most." With Sebastian Berhalter replacing Pulisic in the second half, the US team was no longer as dangerous on the left wing as before. They lost a goal in the 73rd minute and only got a late equalizer from Gio Reyna in stoppage time. Still, this is a near-perfect start for the US team... as long as Pulisic is right that his injury is nothing to worry about. Team USA took a big step forward in getting out of the group stage and gave fans a reason to dream of bigger things. "A round like that, with the way it went and the excitement of the fans about our performance, was fantastic," Pulisic said. "Everything has really worked well. It's great to see."