Christian Pulisic is undoubtedly the USA’s main man on and off the pitch.
Having played for Borussia Dortmund in Germany and now playing for Chelsea, one of Europe’s biggest clubs, he has also been the USMNT’s leading light in attack, having scored 22 goals in 55 games since he made his debut at the age of 18.
The man nicknamed Captain America is taking on that mantle again, having crucial contributions as the USA were able to sneak past Wales and Iran to make the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a match against heavyweights the Netherlands now awaiting them.
But will Pulisic be able to play? He went off injured against Iran after his winning touch, and fans have been waiting anxiously on whether he will line up for his country on December 3.
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What happened to Christian Pulisic?
Christian Pulisic picked up an abdominal injury in the act of scoring his side’s crucial goal in their final group-stage match against Iran, as he collided with the Iranian goalkeeper while heading home a Sergino Dest cross just before halftime.
He remained prone on the turf after scoring and appeared to be in heavy discomfort — receiving lengthy treatment from medical staff. He played on initially and was able to move fairly comfortably for the last few minutes of the half.
However, he didn’t reappear after halftime and whilst his teammates went about holding on to their 1-0 lead, he was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
He was diagnosed with a ‘pelvic contusion’, and was deemed well enough to be released from hospital in time to join in with his teammates celebrations back at the team hotel later that night.
CHRISTIAN PULISIC TELEMUNDO GOAL CALL IS ELECTRIC!!! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Purrm5ozsw
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) November 29, 2022
Is Christian Pulisic playing vs Netherlands?
In the aftermath of the Iran match, the USMNT said that Pulisic’s injury was ‘day-to-day’, meaning that he would be fighting to be fit enough to take part in the crucial World Cup match.
Pulisic told a press conference on December 1 that he was going to do everything in his power to be able to appear on the starting lineup against Netherlands.
“I’m going to go meet now with the team medical staff and make a decision on [training] today, just kind of see how I’m feeling, taking it day by day,” Pulisic said.
Given the magnitude of the match, coach Gregg Berhalter will be desperate for Pulisic to be in the squad for the match, even if he is well below fitness, such is his importance to the team’s attack that has failed to consistently fire in the tournament so far.
In Friday’s press conference, Berhalter said the chances of Pulisic playing “look pretty good.”
And then, later that day, USMNT fans got the news they had been hoping for: Pulisic will suit up.
UPDATE: Christian Pulisic has been cleared to play in tomorrow’s match versus Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/ANg2baaJez
— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) December 2, 2022
Christian Pulisic injury history
Injuries have unfortunately been fairly common in Pulisic’s career to date, with the winger being particularly injury troubled during his time at Chelsea.
He missed 12 games of the 2019/20 season when he tore his abductor muscle, and has missed 30 games in the last two seasons overall — 12 of which came last season when an ankle injury kept him out between the hectic September and October period.
He hasn’t missed a club game since March, though, which has been hugely beneficial for his World Cup preparation and allowed him to start all three games of the tournament so far.
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