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Christian Pulisic was visibly distraught after being forced off with another injury as the United States suffered a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, ending their World Cup campaign.

Pulisic’s tournament had already been disrupted by a calf injury sustained during the USA’s opening match against Paraguay, which saw him withdrawn at half-time in Los Angeles.

The American captain returned to the starting lineup for the round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina after being limited to a substitute role during the remainder of the group stage. He had hoped to play a leading role in guiding his side through the knockout rounds.

However, during the crucial last-16 encounter against Belgium, misfortune struck again. With the USA trailing, Pulisic appeared to injure himself after accidentally kicking Youri Tielemans’ boot while attempting a shot.

He lay on the turf in visible discomfort before slowly getting to his feet. Moments later, he was substituted in the 59th minute for Sebastian Berhalter, clearly struggling to continue.

His substitution came shortly after a disastrous mistake by American goalkeeper Matt Freese, who was dispossessed outside his penalty area, allowing Hans Vanaken to score from long range into an empty net to extend Belgium’s lead to 3-1.

As the USA’s hopes faded, Pulisic was comforted by his teammates, realising that his contribution to the match—and the tournament—had come to an end.

After the match, Mauricio Pochettino commented that he believed Pulisic might have twisted his ankle and expressed hope that the injury would not be serious as the forward prepares to rejoin AC Milan for the 2026/27 season.

Despite the presence of Folarin Balogun—whose red card suspension had been controversially lifted by FIFA after US President Donald Trump personally requested a review from Gianni Infantino—the USA could not mount a comeback. Their only goal came from a deflected free-kick by Malik Tillman.

Belgium, who will face Spain in the next round, also have injury concerns of their own. Midfielder Amadou Onana appeared to suffer a serious knee injury early in the match and was later spotted on crutches with a knee brace.