United States forward Christian Pulisic suffered a fracture to his right leg during his country’s 4-1 defeat by Belgium in the last 16 of the World Cup.
The 27-year-old was replaced in the 59th minute in Seattle, shortly after Belgium scored their third goal. He appeared to sustain the injury early in the second half when he attempted a shot but struck the back of midfielder Youri Tielemans’ leg.
US Soccer later confirmed that medical examinations had revealed a microfracture and bone bruising around Pulisic’s right tibia and fibula.
The federation will now work alongside AC Milan to establish a recovery programme for the forward. No official timetable has been announced, although reports suggest he is likely to be unavailable for several weeks rather than months.
Pulisic would not have been fit to appear in the quarter-finals had the United States managed to overturn the deficit and progress.
His withdrawal initially attracted criticism as the hosts suffered their heaviest World Cup defeat in 36 years. Some former internationals questioned both his performance against Belgium and his overall contribution during the tournament.
Carli Lloyd, the leading scorer in US women’s national team history, said she had expected more from Pulisic in such an important match. She also revisited his decision to miss the 2025 Gold Cup to rest and recover ahead of the World Cup year.
Former US forward Landon Donovan was similarly critical before the extent of the injury became known, suggesting he would have resisted attempts by the medical team to remove him from the pitch.
Pulisic made four appearances during the tournament but completed more than an hour in only one of them.
His fitness will now become a concern for Milan ahead of the new domestic season. The Italian club are scheduled to begin their Serie A campaign against Torino on 23 August.