Pulisic Exits U.S. World Cup Opener at Halftime After Calf Knock in 4-1 Win

Q: Did the USMNT's dominant win prove they can succeed without being overly reliant on their oft-injured superstar?

Yes — but only partially. The 4-1 win over Paraguay showed the USMNT is more balanced than in past cycles and can still dominate even when Christian Pulisic does not finish the match. After Pulisic set up Folarin Balogun and helped drive the first-half attack, the Americans still controlled the game after he went off at halftime, with Balogun finishing a brace and Gio Reyna adding another goal. That matters because it showed real production from multiple attackers rather than a one-man offense. The result also backed up what Mauricio Pochettino and players such as Tyler Adams have been saying: the team now has more weapons around Pulisic. Balogun’s emergence as a true scorer, Reyna’s creativity, and depth options such as Ricardo Pepi reduce the need for Pulisic to carry every decisive moment. The USMNT also appears to have contingency plans in key situations, including penalty duties, if Pulisic is unavailable. Still, the match did not prove the team can thrive entirely without him. Pulisic was excellent before the precautionary substitution, producing an assist and helping force the own goal in what was arguably the team’s best attacking stretch. Paraguay were also missing key talent, and one group-stage opener is not enough evidence against stronger opponents. So the bigger takeaway is not that the USMNT no longer needs Pulisic. It is that they finally look capable of winning convincingly without being completely dependent on him for every goal, chance and big moment.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 13

Christian Pulisic did not return for the second half of the United States' 4-1 World Cup-opening win over Paraguay after taking a kick to the calf.
Mauricio Pochettino said the substitution was purely precautionary, with the knock causing calf tightness rather than a more serious injury.
Pulisic had already helped shape the game before coming off, assisting Folarin Balogun's goal and standing out in a dominant first half.
The scare resonated because the AC Milan attacker missed last summer's Gold Cup for rest after 50 club matches and also sat out a match last month with a lower-back issue.