The forward had not trained since June 11, the day before the USMNT’s 4-1 win over Paraguay to open their World Cup journey on home soil. He obtained a knock in the days building up to the game but trained as usual and started the game, putting on an impressive display before coming off at halftime. The move was described as precautionary because he was kicked in the same area he dealt with the issue days earlier, though he trained individually all of last week and ultimately sat out the team’s 2-0 win over Australia on Friday.

Despite the time away from the pitch, Pulisic’s teammates mentioned he was in good spirits throughout the week, and as a group, they did what they could to keep things that way.

“It’s a tough situation when you’re go through a small little knock which could cause an injury during an important tournament where obviously everyone wants to be able to be at their 100% but I think it’s not so much to talk about the injury or talk about the moment he’s going through,” forward Alex Zendejas, Pulisic’s longtime friend and teammate, mentioned. “If so, talk to him … about other stuff, like try to get his mind off of it.”

Pulisic’s return did not mean the full team trained on Monday – midfielder Cristian Roldan is dealing with a muscle strain and missed the session, his status described as day-to-day. Forward Folarin Balogun, who notched a brace against Paraguay, took part in a modified session on Monday where he started with a jog but then moved to the gym for individual work in an effort to offer him extra recovery time but he is expected to be available for Thursday’s game against Turkiye as usual.

Though Pulisic could be available for selection on Thursday, it is unclear what level of involvement he will have both because of the calf issue and because of the game state. The USMNT have already clinched top spot in Group D, the result ultimately irrelevant. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to make some changes to his starting lineup, which has mostly remained consistent from the Paraguay game to the Australia game, minus Pulisic’s injury, which paved the way for forward Ricardo Pepi to start.

“The most important thing is to go out there and win, regardless of whatever team the coach decides to play,” Balogun mentioned. “The objection and the aim is to go out there and win, three wins from three games. It’s an opportunity to create history and to put a positive message out there, not just for ourselves but towards other teams, so I’m sure the objective of all of us is to go out there and win.”

Between minute management and yellow card accumulation – a second booking in three games would ensure a suspension for the USMNT’s round of 32 match on July 1 – there are likely to be opportunities aplenty for a batch of players itching for more playing time.

“Training hard and waiting for the opportunity but I’m sure it’ll come,” Zendejas, who has yet to play a minute at the World Cup, mentioned. “That’s obviously a coach’s decision and something I got to respect, but I’ve always mentioned it all depends how I’m on the field. I’m working hard, having fun, really enjoying this dream that I’m living right now, so I couldn’t ask for more. I’m happy to be here with the guys, with the group.”