The U.S. may face Australia in the World Cup without star Christian Pulisic

Special Series Soccer Edition Follow the World Cup in the NPR App Find Your Station Sign up for Up First for Soccer Edition on Tuesdays The 2026 FIFA World Cup is from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Sixteen host cities across North America, including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Kansas City, Miami, and New York/New Jersey in the United States. The NPR Network will have coverage from across the country leading up to and during the championship. The U.S. may face Australia in the World Cup without star Christian Pulisic June 19, 20265:00 AM ET Becky Sullivan Players of the United States celebrate during their opening World Cup match, a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. The U.S. has an important match Friday against Australia. Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images hide caption SEATTLE — The performance of the U.S. men's national soccer team in Friday's match against Australia could come down to the health of star Christian Pulisic — and specifically, his left calf. Soccer Edition Your cheat sheet to the 26 players on the U.S. World Cup team The group stage game against Australia, set for 3 p.m. Eastern time at Lumen Field in Seattle, will be pivotal in determining the U.S.'s knockout-stage seeding. Both the U.S. and Australia won their openers — the U.S. over Paraguay 4-1 and Australia over Turkey 2-0 — meaning the winner of Friday's game between the two teams will be in the driver's seat to win the group. But a Pulisic absence on the left side could spell trouble for the Americans. After being kicked in the left calf by a Paraguayan player, Pulisic exited last Friday's game at halftime. The difference in the U.S. performance between the first and second half, after Pulisic was replaced by midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, was noticeable. Paraguay scored its only goal after halftime. Craig O'Donoghue and his son (right) catch a Seattle Mariners game while in town for the FIFA men's World Cup on Thursday, June 18, 2026. KUOW Photo/ Casey Martin hide caption Craig O'Donoghue and his son (right) catch a Seattle Mariners game while in town for the FIFA men's World Cup on Thursday, June 18, 2026. KUOW Photo/ Casey Martin hide caption "Christian is a really important player for us. He can be really dangerous on the wing side," said teammate and midfielder Sergiño Dest. Pulisic has been training individually all week long. On Thursday, U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino said the team would make a final determination later. "He's evolving. He's much better from Friday. We'll see," Pochettino said. "I think at the moment we think if he's not available for [Friday], he'll be available for the next game. He's [making] a massive effort trying to be ready." Christian Pulisic (L) practices on his own, away from other U.S. players, during a training session for the 2026 World Cup at the team's training facility in Irvine, Calif. on Wednesday. Jamie Squire/Getty Images hide caption The third and final U.S. group stage game, in which the Americans will face Turkey, is scheduled for next Thursday, June 25. Pulisic's importance to the team cannot be overstated. In the win over Paraguay, he was key in creating two of the three first-half U.S. goals. An injury replacement on the left wing could be Brenden Aaronson, the 25-year-old midfielder for Leeds United. "I'm always ready to play," Aaronson told reporters Wednesday. faced Australia was in an international friendly match in October 2025. It was a chippy, foul-filled game that the Americans won 2-1. Pulisic left that game with an injury to his right leg after being tripped by Australian defender Jason Geria. "They're a very physical team. They have guys in the back. I think crosses in the box will be very hard to get past them, and they have speed up top for counterattacks," said midfielder Weston McKennie on Thursday.