{"id":1904,"date":"2026-06-13T05:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1904"},"modified":"2026-06-13T05:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T05:07:05","slug":"christian-pulisic-reveals-what-led-to-surprise-second-half-benching-in-usmnt-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1904","title":{"rendered":"Christian Pulisic reveals what led to surprise second-half benching in USMNT opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 After coming off at halftime of the U.S. men\u2019s national team\u2019s 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the World Cup, superstar attacker Christian Pulisic said he expects to be fine.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | World Cup chaos expected as travel plans for 50,000 fans still up in the air for first New Jersey game<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI just got a bit of a kick in the first half so I\u2019m really hoping that it\u2019s nothing,\u201d Pulisic said. \u201cTaking a little bit of precaution today, but I\u2019m hoping I\u2019ll be fine in the next few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulisic later clarified that he was kicked in the back of his left calf.<\/p>\n

With the USMNT nursing a 3-0 lead at halftime, there was little harm to operating with caution, as evidenced by Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s choice to bring on Sebastian Berhalter in place of Pulisic.<\/p>\n

The Americans have a full week before renewing their campaign against Australia next Friday in Seattle, in theory plenty of time to recover.<\/p>\n

Pulisic, when he was on the field, was the USMNT\u2019s best player throughout the first half. He played with confidence, taking on defenders 1-on-1 with ease, playing a key role in creating the Americans\u2019 first goal and assisting Folarin Balogun on their second.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m surprised,\u201d Pulisic said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen us play like this recently. The guys were up for it. We gave the ability to play, do the things that we do on the ball, score goals. But today just the effort, everything was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more USMNT met the World Cup moment in dominant win over Paraguay<\/a><\/p>\n

The USMNT released footage of a Thursday night phone call from President Trump to the team, expressing his support.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Andrew Giuliani, the White House\u2019s World Cup czar, was pictured in a 45-second video released on X by the men\u2019s national team\u2019s official account, taking a call from President Trump, who encouraged the team ahead of what will be arguably the biggest moment in its history.<\/p>\n

Manager Mauricio Pochettino and captain Tim Ream are the only members of the team visible in the video, though Giuliani says that all 26 players are in the room before handing the phone off to Pochettino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just called to say you\u2019re a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach,\u201d Trump tells Pochettino, who pulls a face after receiving the compliment. \u201cI know about your record, your success and how great the players are. I think you\u2019ve got a really good chance of going all the way so I just wish you a lot of luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much for your support Mr. President,\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cWe are going to do everything to make you proud and all the people here in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Harper Beckham goes to Brooklyn\u2019s LA mansion in desperate attempt to heal rift \u2014 but leaves seconds later without seeing him<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After coming off at halftime of the U.S. men\u2019s national team\u2019s 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the World Cup, superstar attacker Christian Pulisic said he expects to be fine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nChristian Pulisic reveals what led to surprise second-half benching in USMNT opener - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1904\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christian Pulisic reveals what led to surprise second-half benching in USMNT opener - 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