Christian Pulisic hoping to play for US in final World Cup group match vs. Turkey

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Christian Pulisic says he feels “great” now after missing one World Cup match with a calf injury, and he hopes to play for the U.S. in its final group match against Turkey on Thursday night.

Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans’ historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.

Pulisic said he nearly played in the U.S.’ 2-0 victory over Australia last Friday but was held out to get closer to full fitness for the games ahead. He has returned to practice with his teammates this week after working out on his own last week before the trip to Seattle.

“I’m hoping to play a part in (the match against Turkey), for sure,” Pulisic said before the U.S. training session Wednesday at Great Park. “I’ll discuss that with my coaches and the medical staff. Obviously not a good chance I’ll probably go and play 90 (minutes) right away after you come back and miss a game, but we’ll see.”

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t said how he will treat the final group match, which is meaningless for both teams. The Americans are locked into first place in their group, while Turkey has been eliminated from knockout-round contention.

Pulisic hopes the plan includes at least some playing time for him as the U.S. ramps up for its Round-of-32 match in Santa Clara, California, on July 1. While Pulisic’s calf injury robbed him of one chance on the World Cup stage, he felt certain he wouldn’t be out for long.

“I never feared anything worse,” Pulisic said. “I was pushing, and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game, for sure. I did feel a little something (against Paraguay), but I definitely was able to push through in the first half and just get me through. But yeah, it wasn’t quite ready, but it wasn’t anything where I feared anything worse than what it was.”

With no stakes for the U.S. against Turkey, Pochettino seems likely to provide some rest to key players in his starting lineup while giving a few of his reserves possibly their only opportunity to hit the field. That sounds great to starting central defender Chris Richards, who thinks some time off wouldn’t be a hindrance.

“Our trainings are pretty intense,” Richards said. “I think fitness won’t be an issue. I don’t think sharpness will be, either. Obviously it’s good to keep into some sort of rhythm, but I think these guys deserve it if they get the chance (Thursday). I think we’ll be fine when it comes to the next game.”

Pulisic was visibly excited as a spectator during the Americans’ win in Seattle, celebrating along with his teammates as they capably handled a second straight opponent for their team’s first consecutive World Cup victories since 1930. The U.S. offensive performance without its most accomplished attacking player, particularly in the first half against Australia, pleased Pulisic greatly.

“It’s not surprising to me,” Pulisic said. “I see what this team can do. We have depth. We have really strong players in a lot of positions. I don’t need to do everything. It’s such a strong team. These guys, everyone has each other’s backs. That’s what so fun about it, and to see the way the team performance that we’ve put in, especially the way we’ve started the games, has been fun to watch.”

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