IRVINE, Calif. — The good vibes continued for the United States men’s national team, as Christian Pulisic returned to full training for the first time since June 11, having recovered from an injured left calf.
Pulisic first injured the calf two days before the tournament opening 4-1 victory against Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He played the first half of that match before exiting at halftime after he reaggravated the injury. He didn’t train fully with the team leading up to the Australia match, and remained on the bench during the 2-0 win.
The news was less positive for U.S. midfielder Cristian Roldan, who according to a U.S. Soccer spokesperson has a muscle strain and is day-to-day.
The injury comes at an inopportune time for Roldan.
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With midfielder Tyler Adams already sitting on a yellow card, he is likely to sit out the match against Türkiye, in order to avoid a yellow card suspension for the round of 32.
Roldan was viewed as the likely replacement, but now his status is in doubt.
That said, Pulisic’s return, plus the fact that the USMNT has already clinched the top spot in the group, means the confidence within the group is at its peak. That goes for every player on the roster.
“I think the vibes are high,” said Alex Zendejas, who has yet to see the field but is likely to see time against Turkey.
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“The team is like having fun, training’s intense, but in a good way. We’re competing. And I think that’s since the beginning of this whole camp. I think it’s been a month now, but that says a lot about the it group.
“Even with those FIFA windows, which are like 10 days, vibes are high there. So you can only imagine with being a month together. And yeah, it’s fun being around these guys, there’s a bunch of jokes, messing around, but then when it comes to work and training and games like we get serious and win showing up for sure these past couple games.”
That includes engaging in team-wide goal celebrations, though after Alex Freeman’s tally against Australia was confirmed by VAR, the team had a hard time chasing him down.
“It was fun, man,” Zendejas said. “We were already on the side line after the goal was confirmed. So we were ready to chase him down, but he’s just too fast.”
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The team is also becoming more aware of the extent of the country’s support.
Forward Folarin Balogun said teammate Weston McKennie has been showing him videos of fan reaction all across the United States.
“Just like fans in different parts, watching the games on some big screens, bars and stuff,” Balogun told reporters.
“And you know, every time we score [they] were celebrated in different places. I think it’s not something any of us can really comprehend cause we’re in it, but I think once we’re out of it, [and] kind of get on with our daily lives, I think we’ll be able to see the impact we’ve made, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
