INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Christian Pulisic returned to the field for the U.S. men’s soccer team Thursday night just in time to warm up for the World Cup games that really matter starting next week.
Pulisic entered the Americans’ 3-2 loss to Turkey as a substitute early in the second half to the soundtrack of an enormous roar from the sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium.
The 27-year-old midfielder from Hershey, Pennsylvania, immediately looked comfortable during his first game in 13 days, contributing to several strong attacks and coming remarkably close to scoring a goal shortly after his entrance. Pulisic also had a lowlight when rising star Arda Guler nutmegged him — flicked the ball between his legs — to begin the sequence that ended with Kaan Ayhan’s winning goal on the final kick of the match during stoppage time.
The loss at this venue in the Los Angeles area didn’t matter to the Americans, who had already clinched first place in Group D with victories over Paraguay (4-1 on June 12, also at SoFi Stadium) and Australia (2-0 on June 19 at Seattle’s Lumen Field). The chance to prepare for next week was the important part for Pulisic and some of his teammates, although coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded nearly an entirely new lineup for the low-stakes game, resting all four key players who picked up yellow cards earlier in the 48-team tournament being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina — which finished third in Group D with four points, behind Switzerland and Canada — in a round-of-32 knockout match Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.