The United States men’s national team will have their hero from Tuesday’s dramatic opening round win against Iran available when they face the Netherlands in the knockout stage on Saturday.
Pulisic suffered a pelvic contusion during the victory over the Iranians when he collided hard with keeper Alireza Beiranvand while putting in the lone goal of the contest. Pulisic briefly exited the game after the crash but returned moments later to finish out the first half.
He was substituted for at intermission and didn’t appear in the second stanza.
The 24-year-old updated fans with a message on social media following the game writing « I’ll be ready Saturday don’t worry. » Many fans and media members — based on replays — assumed that Pulisic was hit in a particularly sensitive area on the collision, but he disputed that notion on Thursday.
The Americans will be playing in the knockout round for the seventh time in their history, but the first time since 2014. The U.S. will face the Netherlands at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday and try to make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.