Christian Pulisic Struggles to Find Form in Disappointing World Cup

Christian Pulisic's World Cup dreams were left in tatters as the US star was held scoreless and hobbled by injuries in a 4-1 loss to Belgium.

What happened?

The American forward was forced to watch from the bench as Belgium extinguished his team's World Cup bid, ending a tournament in which Pulisic was largely ineffective. He has 33 goals in 90 international appearances but has scored just once in eight World Cup games-against Iran in the group stage in 2022.

Why it matters for Christian Pulisic

Pulisic's struggles in the World Cup will be a major concern for his club, AC Milan, as he will now have to reintegrate with his team after a disappointing tournament. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game that he hoped Pulisic's injury was nothing serious and that he would be able to bounce back from the setback.

What comes next?

Pulisic will now have to regroup and refocus as he prepares for the new season with AC Milan. He said after the game that he will "try and stay positive" and that he did "a lot of good things" in the tournament. American defender Alex Freeman also backed Pulisic, saying that he is "a great player and a person that's always going to fight."

Pulisic's World Cup campaign was marked by a series of injuries, including a calf strain that forced him to sit out several matches. He was also slowed by a calf injury during the group stage, and had to come out of the game in the second half against Belgium after twisting his right ankle.

The most accomplished U.S. striker, Pulisic was held scoreless in his second World Cup. He has 33 goals in 90 international appearances but has scored just once in eight World Cup games-against Iran in the group stage in 2022. For the second time in this World Cup, Pulisic left a match in the second half with an injury, leaving Monday's 4-1 loss to Belgium after twisting his right ankle when he extended for a shot attempt and hit the boot of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans in the 52nd minute.

After spending a few moments lying on the pitch, Pulisic began favoring the foot and was replaced in the 59th by Sebastian Berhalter with the U.S. trailing 3-1. Having to come out of the game was "difficult for me to deal with," he said.

"I felt really good this summer with the guys and I thought my level was high," Pulisic said. "It's disappointing I didn't quite have the moments I was hoping to and to try to help us to get over this next step of beating a really good team."

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game that he hoped Pulisic's injury was nothing serious and that Pulisic would be able to reintegrate with his club, AC Milan. Players typically get 21 days off after the end of the World Cup before having to report to their clubs.

Pulisic was slowed by a calf injury during the group stage. After a sparkling first half in the first U.S. game, a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, he sat for the rest of the match due to stiffness from a calf injury incurred in training. He sat out the Americans' win over Australia before entering as a substitute in the group-stage loss to Turkey. Pulisic returned to the starting lineup for the Americans' 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32.

He said Monday he will "try and stay positive," adding: "I did a lot of good things and the team did as well." "He's going to bounce back," American defender Alex Freeman said. "He's a great player and a person that's always going to fight."

"___ AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin contributed to this report. ___