Christian Pulisic has been ruled out for several weeks after suffering a microfracture and bone bruise in his leg during the United States' 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup last 16 in Seattle on Monday, US Soccer has confirmed. The Milan forward was withdrawn in the second half and later underwent X-ray and MRI scans to establish the severity of the injury, with US Soccer and his club now said to be collaborating on his rehabilitation plan.

The setback capped an injury-disrupted tournament for the 27-year-old, who had faced criticism over his availability. Pulisic starred in the first half of a 4-1 win over Paraguay before aggravating a left-calf problem that also ruled him out of the 2-0 win over Australia; he later appeared as a substitute in a 3-2 loss to Turkey and started the 2-0 last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. His post-match remark that "I have time to rest" drew pointed responses from pundits, with former US star Carli Lloyd tweeting "You rest when your playing career is over," and ex-captain Landon Donovan saying he would have refused to leave the pitch.