US uses Pulisic as substitute, sends out 9 new starters vs. Turkiye in World Cup group finale
INGLEWOOD, Calif: Christian Pulisic came on as a second-half substitute in the United States’ final World Cup group match against Turkiye on Thursday night. The Americans sent out nine new starters for this meaningless game with their knockout-round place already secured, but Pulisic replaced Tim Weah in the 58th minute for his first game action since the first half of their 4-1 victory over Paraguay nearly two weeks ago. Pulisic said this week that he is ready to play again after coming out at halftime with a calf injury in the Americans’ home World Cup opener. The AC Milan midfielder entered the 2-2 game to an enormous roar from the sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium, and he created a scoring opportunity just a couple of minutes later with a dynamic run down the left side. Pulisic nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, but his quick shot off a nice pass from Sebastian Berhalter was knocked off the goalpost by Turkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and Brenden Aaronson botched his follow-up chance. The American team has already won its group and clinched a matchup with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 next week, so coach Mauricio Pochettino used this meaningless final match to give playing time to the second string on his 26-man squad. Auston Trusty scored for the Americans in the third minute, but Turkiye took a 2-1 lead into halftime.