Pulisic Substituted at Halftime of US World Cup Opener as Coach Cites Precaution

The United States men's national team opened its World Cup campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Paraguay, but the result was overshadowed in the second half by the absence of star midfielder Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic, who plays club soccer for AC Milan in Italy's top division, was a central figure during the opening 45 minutes. He helped set up the Americans' second goal, which was finished by forward Folarin Balogun, and was consistently active in the final third before the break.

When the teams returned from the locker room, Pulisic was nowhere to be found on the field. He had been replaced by Sebastian Berhalter, a midfielder whose father, Gregg Berhalter, previously played for and coached the U.S. national team. No official reason for the change was immediately provided on the broadcast.

Concern among supporters grew during the second half as word filtered back from the stands that Pulisic had communicated to family members watching the match that he was fine. Still, with no update from the team, anxious fans waited for an explanation.

It came after the final whistle. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters, according to The Athletic's Tom Bogert, that Pulisic had taken a kick to the calf that caused tightness, and that the decision to remove him was strictly precautionary.

The scare was heightened by Pulisic's well-documented recent injury history. The Hershey, Pennsylvania, native sat out last summer's Gold Cup to rest after logging more than 50 appearances for AC Milan the previous season. He went on to deal with a series of injuries during the following campaign, and as recently as last month, he missed a club match because of a lower-back issue, according to ESPN.

Pulisic remains one of the most important players in the U.S. setup, and his absence was felt during a second half in which the team scored twice but also looked less dynamic in attack. While Pochettino's explanation offered reassurance, supporters are likely to remain on edge until he returns to the field and shows no signs of trouble.

With the World Cup still in its early stages and multiple matches still to come, the U.S. will be hoping the calf issue is minor and that their most recognizable star is available the next time the team takes the pitch.