On Friday night, the United States Men’s National Team kicked off the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
The United States were in complete control throughout the match as they led 3-0 at half-time.
Christian Pulisic was subbed off at half-time.
United States’ Christian Pulisic Subbed Off for Precautionary Reasons
With the United States National Team leading 3-0 at half-time, concern was raised as star player Christian Pulisic was taken off the pitch for the second half. Following the game, Pulisic said, “I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing. Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days.”
Fortunately for the United States, head coach Mauricio Pochettino shared that Pulisic was subbed off as a precaution. He added that he did not want to take any risks.
Even with his limited participation, Pulisic did more than enough to lead the United States in the first half.
Following the game, Pulisic received a “9/10” grade by Ryan Tolmich of Goal.com. Tolmich wrote of Pulisic’s performance:
“Absolutely relentless. Created the own goal and then set up the second outright, driving the USMNT attack throughout a dominant first-half display. Was withdrawn at halftime, but by then, his influence on the opener was already undeniable.”
Despite playing only the first-half, Pulisic was tied for the highest grade among any USMNT players. Gio Reyna, who scored the fourth goal of the match, and Folarin Balogun, who notched a brace in the first half, also received nine’s.
Upcoming Game for the United States in World Cup
Next up for the United States National Team is a group matchup against Australia, which will take place next Friday at Seattle Stadium.
Australia, came in ranked by FIFA, as the 27th best team in the tournament. Meanwhile, Bleacher Report was lower on the Australia squad as they finished No. 37 on their power rankings heading into the tournament. Regarding the Australian squad, Bleacher Report’s Leo Collis wrote:
“After a remarkable trip to the round of 16 in Qatar, Australia will be looking to at least match that achievement.
While two wins from four friendlies leading into North America might seem reasonable, the victories came against Cameroon and Curaçao, ranked 44th and 82nd by FIFA, respectively, while they lost to 14th-ranked Mexico and drew with Switzerland, which sits 19th.
That failure to take a win against more notable national teams will be a concern, especially when they are the second-lowest-ranked team in Group D. The Socceroos might be lucky to even be in with a chance of the knockouts by the final pool game.”
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