Christian Pulisic's mysterious injury becomes the USMNT's World Cup smokescreen

It wasn't. 

“I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, I’m hoping that it’s nothing, taking precaution,” Pulisic said after the match, via Tom Lutz of The Guardian. “Staying positive, I don’t think it’s anything.”

Pochettino backed up Pulisic's claims in his post-match news conference. 

"He received a kick before today in a training session, we hope it’s not a big issue."

That's the story, beginning to end. Pulisic trained hard and got kicked; Pulisic played hard and got kicked again; Pulisic left his match out of an abundance of caution. No drama, no concerns. It's a long tournament. People need to rest. Especially when their teams are up 3-0 on their opponent at halftime.

Since then, though, Pulisic hasn't been training with the rest of the USMNT. He's been running modified training sessions alone, often hidden from view in the far reaches of the USMNT's World Cup camp in Irvine. The logic is sound—let him recover in peace, keep future tournament opponents like Australia and Turkiye wondering about his fitness level—but the effect has been madness. 

Obscured within a makeshift plastic tent, Pulisic has become more Tom Sawyer than Captain America, uncomfortably watching his own funeral as the general public assumes the worst about his fitness.

An accidental smokescreen

Rumors have flown about Pulisic's health. Other USMNT players have fielded question after question about his availability. Pulisic's absence isn't just a story: it's the story as the USMNT prepares to take on Australia.

“Christian will be ready, everyone. Let’s relax,” USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams said when asked about his teammate's health. “I think that he picked up a knock a few days before the game, and I think he got kicked in the same spot again during the game. And when you go in at half-time, things obviously get tight within the 15, 20 minute break. But he’ll be fine.”

Adams's assurances haven't settled the American public, but in a way, it's working in the USMNT's favor. Pulisic's absence has kept all of the eyeballs—and all of the questions—off of the rest of the USMNT in advance of its Australia fixture. The hunt for the invisible Pulisic has allowed the other 25 USMNT players to disappear, too, with the pressure and intrigue thoroughly lifted from their shoulders.

A blessing in disguise

Will we see Pulisic play against Australia? The answer isn't a solid "yes" regardless of his health and fitness.

When the USMNT met Australia eight months ago in Commerce City, CO, Pulisic exited the match early in the first half after receiving a nasty tackle from defender Jason Geria. The injury wound up being a catalyst for all sorts of Pulisic problems: it kept him out of the USMNT's triumphant November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay and threw a wrench into his exceptional club form with AC Milan.

The World Cup is the World Cup; if your best player is available and the game still carries meaning, you should put him on the field. But Pulisic's Australia history—coupled with his phantom injury keeping him out of view—might be the perfect storm of excuses to keep him from going through another lunging Geria tackle.

Regardless, the circus around Pulisic's injury is just a small part of this fascinating Australia fixture. Tom Sawyer returned and Pulisic will too. We'd all do well to take Tyler Adams's advice and relax.

The USMNT will face Australia in its second World Cup game on Friday, Jun. 19 in Seattle, WA.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.