U.S. star Christian Pulisic suffered microfracture vs. Belgium – sources

U.S. international and AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic has suffered a bone bruise and microfracture in his lower leg, sidelining him for several weeks, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The Athletic first reported this concerning news.

Pulisic sustained the injury just seven minutes into the second half of the USMNT’s 4-1 defeat against Belgium during the round-of-16. When attempting to take a shot on goal, he inadvertently struck the leg of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans.

Despite the injury, Pulisic tried to continue but was ultimately replaced by Sebastian Berhalter in the 59th minute, following an error by goalkeeper Matt Freese that allowed Belgium to score their third goal, netted by Hans Vanaken.

Pulisic commented post-match, “I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play. It’s unfortunate to finish this way, but I have time to rest.”

This is not the first injury Pulisic has faced in the tournament. Along with the microfracture, he also dealt with a calf issue sustained during training just two days before the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay. He aggravated this calf injury, leading to his substitution at halftime.

Subsequently, Pulisic did not appear in the match against Australia and played only 32 minutes against Türkiye. However, he returned to the starting lineup in the round-of-32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, logging 88 minutes of play.

A source has indicated to ESPN that Pulisic is expected to miss approximately 4-6 weeks, potentially returning to training with AC Milan in August. This timing would coincide with his integration into the squad under the new manager, Ruben Amorim. Milan’s season opener is scheduled for August 23 against Torino.