U.S. Men’s National Team star Christian Pulisic fractured his right leg during the team’s brutal 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.

The 27-year-old suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture of his tibia and fibula.

Had the United States defeated Belgium, Pulisic would have been out for the remainder of the World Cup.

CBS News shared further:

Pulisic hit a leg of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot in the 52nd minute of Monday’s round-of-16 loss. He remained in the game but was hobbling. Sebastian Berhalter replaced him in the 59th minute. The final score of the match was 4-1.

Pulisic did not score in the World Cup, but has a record of 30 goals in 90 international appearances. During the World Cup, he missed one of the USMNT’s five matches because of a calf injury and left two other games early.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pulisic is expected to resume training before AC Milan’s Serie A opener at Torino on Aug. 23. This will be his fourth season with Milan.

The U.S-Belgium game received extra scrutiny when FIFA lifted the red card suspension of U.S. lead scorer Folarin Balogun after a call from President Trump. Mr. Trump has defended his decision to contact the league, which typically does not allow for appeals of red cards.

“U.S. Soccer and AC Milan will be collaborating on his recovery plan,” the U.S. Men’s National Team stated.

The contest against Belgium remained competitive until a devastating mistake in the second half put the United States behind 3-1.

Watch below:

Belgium would add another late goal to win 4-1.

Watch below:

Yahoo Sports has more:

With a golden chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years — and further galvanize a nation that had embraced this team like no other — the U.S. missed assignments, defended naively and made countless mistakes that Belgium punished with merciless efficiency.

The 4-1 loss at sold-out Lumen Field looked and felt like the Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands four years ago in Qatar. The gap between an elite European side — even a Belgian one past its prime — and the U.S. was profound.

“Today wasn’t a good day,” midfielder Tyler Adams said afterward. “It stings. This was a moment to have the opportunity to advance and really try and do something special.

“We fell short.”

The Americans were in trouble from the first minute and, after drawing even on another Malik Tillman free kick, they conceded the go-ahead goal two minutes later and never fully recovered.

ADVERTISEMENT

While Belgium will face Spain on Friday (3 p.m. ET) in the Los Angeles area, the U.S. will cherish its accomplishments — winning the group after just two matches and winning a knockout game for the first time since 2002 — but also lament its performance when the lights were brightest.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.