Injury - Soccer Wiretap

Christian Pulisic says he is prepared to play a full match if necessary as the United States faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday. The forward appears to have shaken off the calf injury that hampered him earlier in the tournament.

Pulisic told reporters Tuesday that he feels fully recovered. The issue forced him to sit out the group-stage match against Australia and limited him to just 32 minutes against Turkiye.

"I felt great in the game, the last game against Turkiye," said Pulisic. "So feeling good this week and yeah, I'm definitely ready to go for Wednesday."

Defender Auston Trusty returned to training Tuesday after recovering from an ankle problem. Midfielder Cristian Roldan was limited to modified work and is considered day-to-day, though his availability for Wednesday looks doubtful. Defender Mark McKenzie sat out entirely due to foot irritation.

The topic of penalty shootouts loomed large after two Monday round-of-32 matches were decided that way. Pulisic acknowledged the mental toll facing any player who steps up to take one.

"It's an extremely hard thing to do for sure ... so the people that go up and shoot takes a lot of courage and it's not easy," said Pulisic. "Goalkeepers get better and better every single year. Yeah, I think everyone has their individual style and you just go with what you feel most confident."

Pulisic added he does not expect the Americans to struggle finding volunteers if it comes to that.

"The guys who feel the most confident to go up and shoot will want to go shoot. I think that's normal," he said. "There'll be some players that maybe don't want to as much and don't feel as good. I don't think it's necessarily a big problem.

"Yeah, I'm not sure. I mean, we haven't been in many shootouts with these guys, but I feel it's a pretty brave courageous team. I feel like guys will give it a go."

With 13 players from the 2022 World Cup squad still on the current roster, Pulisic believes that experience gives the USMNT an edge entering the knockout stage.

"We're ready for this moment," said Pulisic. "I think we've had some good performances this World Cup, and having that experience last time definitely can allow us to go into this just a little bit of a clear mind, and just more prepared for sure."

Spain forward Lamine Yamal said he feels prepared to face Saudi Arabia on Sunday but cautioned that he is not yet ready to play a full 90 minutes following his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The Barcelona star entered Friday's interview with Spanish television after managing just 30 minutes off the bench in Spain's scoreless World Cup opener against Cape Verde.

"I feel really good. I'm excited above all, I've been off the field for a long time," said Yamal. "I'm looking forward to Sunday. I feel good physically, I'm ready for whatever the boss wants. I know that doesn't mean I'm going to play, but I'm ready.

"It's very early, it's unnecessary to play 90 minutes, I have a process of adaptation, it isn't the moment to play a full game but I'll play the minutes the boss wants."

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said his side's inability to use Yamal beyond 30 minutes against Cape Verde limited their attack. "As soon as Lamine came on, he changed how they were playing," said De la Fuente. "It was the amount of time we thought he could play. We're sure in the next game the team will do better."

Teammate Pau Cubarsi expressed confidence in Spain's depth regardless of Yamal's role. "I think we have a spectacular, magnificent squad," said Cubarsi. "All the players can perform at the highest level. We all know how good Lamine is, so if he can get in, he will help us a lot. But I think those who can make up for it will do it just as well or better."

Spain generated 2.29 expected goals and produced 27 shots in the Cape Verde draw, but goalkeeper Vozinha turned away seven attempts to preserve the stalemate. The result puts added pressure on Spain to secure three points against Saudi Arabia.

"I think we have to take a step forward, as we have been doing in the last few years," said Cubarsi. "We have to give our all, because it's like a final. I think the whole team knows the importance of this match.

"I think we're going to give it our all, as we have always done. We will try to win and give our all."

United States star Christian Pulisic will sit out the team's World Cup match against Australia due to a calf injury, with Ricardo Pepi stepping into the starting lineup, head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed.

Pulisic's availability had been uncertain throughout the week after he was substituted at halftime against Paraguay. The AC Milan forward had been limited in training since that match.

"Christian is not available," said Pochettino. "The evolution is really well. Today he was training in the morning in the training camp. I think the feelings are good, I hope as soon as possible he will be ready to play again and be part of the team."

Pochettino said the 27-year-old was struck in the back of his left calf during a training session before the Paraguay match and felt tightness during the game itself. Pulisic trained separately from the squad ahead of the Australia clash.

The absence is a blow for a U.S. side that opened the tournament with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12. A victory over Australia would clinch the Americans' advancement to the round of 32.

Before exiting at halftime against Paraguay, Pulisic split two defenders to set up Weston McKennie for the opening goal, then assisted Folarin Balogun on the second. Pulisic has scored 33 goals in 87 appearances for the national team.

Pepi is the lone change to the U.S. starting XI and will line up alongside Balogun, who scored twice against Paraguay. The Americans close out group play against Turkiye on Thursday at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles.

United States Men's National Team attacker Christian Pulisic trained separately from the main group Wednesday, raising doubt about his availability for Friday's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match against Australia in Seattle.

Pulisic, who sustained a calf injury last week and aggravated it during the United States' 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday, worked out with a member of the training staff after beginning the session in the team's field-side gym. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson confirmed Wednesday marked an improvement over Tuesday, when Pulisic did not take the field at all.

With roughly 48 hours until kickoff, concern is growing within the camp over his fitness. As a point of comparison, defender Chris Richards had returned to full training at this stage last week while managing an ankle injury.

Defender Antonee Robinson expressed confidence the squad has sufficient depth to cope without Pulisic if needed.

"He's not been training fully with the group yet. We've still got a couple of days to see where he is at," said Robinson. "And you know, thankfully, we've got a lot of boys on the bench eager and ready to get involved and helping the team and with a lot of quality.

"So it's a long tournament. If we don't have him back for the game, then you know, we're gonna make sure we have him back for the rest of the way, because we're gonna need him cause we're gonna need everyone, but hopefully we have everyone fit."

Giovanni Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas, Timothy Weah and Brenden Aaronson are among the options available to step in should Pulisic be ruled out.

"If that opportunity comes, I'll always be ready," said Aaronson. "I'm always ready to start games, play games, give my best and give my all."

United States men's national team attacker Christian Pulisic trained apart from the main group Monday as he manages a calf injury sustained in training last week.

Pulisic worked individually on a separate field before moving to the gym for stationary bike work. When asked for an update, U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino offered only a brief response.

"Good," Pochettino said, without elaborating.

The AC Milan forward's status became a concern after he was pulled at halftime of Friday's 4-1 World Cup group stage victory over Paraguay. Pulisic was active in the opening 45 minutes, contributing to two of the team's first goals before leaving the match.

After the game, Pulisic downplayed the severity of the issue.

"I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I'm really hoping that it's nothing," Pulisic told Fox Sports. "Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine the next few days."

He added, "Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I've had similar things before, and I'm staying positive. I don't think it's anything at all."

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams expressed confidence Monday that Pulisic would be available for Friday's group stage match against Australia in Seattle.

"Christian will be ready, everyone. Let's relax," Adams said. "I think that he picked up a knock a few days before the game, and I think he got kicked in the same spot again during the game. And when you go in at halftime, things obviously get tight within the 15, 20 minute break. But he'll be fine."

Christian Pulisic was substituted at halftime of the United States' 4-1 World Cup opening win over Paraguay on Friday after taking a kick to his left calf, with manager Mauricio Pochettino describing the move as precautionary.

"He got a kick in the calf and at the end of the first half he started to feel tight and we didn't want to take any risks," said Pochettino. "It was difficult for him to walk. But [we] hope that it's not a big issue and he can be ready for the next one."

Pulisic was direct after the match, expressing optimism about his condition.

"I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I'm really hoping that it's nothing," said Pulisic. "Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine the next few days.

"Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I've had similar things before and I'm staying positive. I don't think it's anything at all."

Pulisic had been the standout performer in the opening half, helping force a Paraguay own goal and setting up Folarin Balogun's first of two strikes before Sebastian Berhalter replaced him at the break. The United States led 3-0 at halftime, the first time in program history the team has held a three-goal advantage at the interval in a World Cup match.

Balogun's two-goal effort marked the first time a United States player scored multiple World Cup goals in a single game since Bert Patenaude's hat trick in 1930.

The United States next face Australia in Seattle on June 19 before closing Group D play at SoFi Stadium against Turkiye on June 25. The United States are currently 64 percent favorites to beat Australia outright, according to the latest World Cup odds. 

England winger Bukayo Saka remains short of full fitness heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with manager Thomas Tuchel confirming the 24-year-old is still recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in March and cannot yet train on back-to-back days.

Saka did not train Monday but completed a full session Tuesday and is available for Wednesday's warm-up match against Costa Rica in Orlando. Tuchel said England will manage his workload throughout the tournament in a similar fashion to Arsenal's approach late in the club season.

"Bukayo is still getting there, playing through discomfort at the end of the season, but obviously managing it and playing at a high level, but still not at 100 per cent," said Tuchel. "He is the one we are building and taking care of in training.

"Some things are missing: consecutive training. They took very good care of him and were very aware of it at Arsenal, and we will do a little bit the same. So, step by step, he is at the moment not able to do every training session through the week and then play."

Saka missed Arsenal matches against Manchester City and Bournemouth in April but pushed through pain to help the club secure their first league title in more than two decades. He started the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 before being substituted in the 83rd minute, with Arsenal ultimately falling on penalties.

Tuchel dismissed any concerns about Saka's confidence, noting the winger was decisive in key moments for Arsenal late in the season, including the Champions League semifinal second leg against Atletico Madrid.

Fellow Arsenal players Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, who joined the squad June 6, are all fully fit, Tuchel confirmed.

England, based in Kansas City for the tournament, open World Cup play against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.

England has approximately 12.5 percent World Cup odds to win the tournament.

Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark's friendly against Ukraine on Sunday, prompting the abandonment of the match in the 79th minute. The VfL Wolfsburg midfielder was conscious, stable and undergoing further tests at a hospital in Odense, Denmark.

Eriksen, 34, appeared to grab his chest before falling to the ground in the 65th minute at Nature Energy Park. Team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed the player's implantable cardioverter-defibrillator responded as expected.

"Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch by himself," said Boesen. "As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should.

"He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him. He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital.

"But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay."

The incident marks the second time Eriksen has collapsed on the pitch. He suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 group match against Finland in Copenhagen in June 2021, requiring resuscitation before being fitted with a heart-starting device. He returned to professional football just eight months later with Brentford in February 2022.

Denmark and Ukraine players gathered around Eriksen during treatment. A crowd chant of "Eriksen, Eriksen" filled the stadium before Norwegian referee Sigurd Smehus Kringstad abandoned the fixture.

Wolfsburg, Tottenham and Manchester United all posted messages of support on social media. United, the club Eriksen left in 2025, described being encouraged by the positive update from the Danish federation.

Eriksen is widely regarded as one of the finest players in Danish football history. He began his career at Ajax before joining Tottenham, where he made 305 appearances, scoring 69 goals and registering 88 assists, before later spells at Inter Milan, Brentford and Manchester United. Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the World Cup.

Argentina defeated Honduras 2-0 Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, in their penultimate friendly ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with Lionel Messi watching from the bench as he continues to recover from muscle fatigue.

Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute after a foul on Nicolas Tagliafico. Atletico Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone doubled the lead early in the second half, finishing at close range after a clever Lautaro backheel set him through.

Manager Lionel Scaloni introduced a wave of substitutions shortly after Simeone's goal, but Messi was not among those called upon. The 38-year-old has been managing a minor muscle injury sustained May 25 in his final Inter Miami appearance before linking up with the national team.

Scaloni had addressed Messi's status ahead of the match, expressing measured optimism.

"Leo is doing well," said Scaloni. "Leo trained for a part with the group [on Friday], which is important. He's not fully separated; he's coming along. He may be part of the friendly matches, getting some minutes in these two friendlies. 

"But he's doing a lot better and that gives us tranquility."

The capacity crowd at Kyle Field cheered the defending champions throughout, though Messi's absence from the pitch was a visible disappointment for many in attendance.

Argentina close out their pre-tournament schedule against Iceland on June 9 before opening Group J play against Algeria on June 16, with Austria and Jordan to follow.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed Friday that Lionel Messi is recovering from left hamstring fatigue and could see action in the team's upcoming friendly matches before the World Cup begins June 16.

Messi, 38, suffered the injury May 25 in his final Inter Miami appearance before joining the national team. Scaloni indicated the forward has resumed partial group training, a positive sign ahead of Argentina's title defense.

"Leo is doing well," said Scaloni. "Leo trained for a part with the group, which is important. He's not fully separated; he's coming along. He may be part of the friendly matches, getting some minutes in these two friendlies. We'll see if it's the one tomorrow or the next one. But he's doing a lot better and that gives us tranquility."

Argentina faces Honduras on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, before meeting Iceland in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday to close out their pre-tournament preparations.

Four additional squad members, Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, Nico Paz and Gonzalo Montiel, are also working through rehabilitation separately from the main group. Scaloni said all four are progressing but will be held out of at least Saturday's friendly as a precaution.

The manager was direct about the team's contingency plan for the 26-man roster.

"It can happen," said Scaloni. "Today we have the feeling that the guys are doing well, but what we're completely sure of is that if any one of them is not available, they'll be left out.

"We have that clear. For now, they're doing well, but we've been monitoring them. When the decisive stage arrives, which is the final week, where they have to ramp up to see if they are 100%, that's when we'll decide, even though it'll hurt a lot if any one of the guys has to be left out."

The defending champions open Group J play against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16, with Austria and Jordan to follow.