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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Christian Pulisic returned to the field for the United States on 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.
He immediately looked comfortable in his first game action in 13 days, contributing to several strong attacks and coming awfully close to scoring a goal shortly after his entrance. Pulisic also had a lowlight when rising star Arda Güler 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.
The loss didn't matter to the Americans, but the chance to prepare for next week was the important part. The U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
"His goal was to get some minutes to be ready" for next week, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "I'm happy because I think he made a good impact when he was on the pitch."
Pulisic played dynamically in the first half of the Americans' tournament-opening, 4-1 victory over Paraguay nearly two weeks ago, creating one goal and assisting on another — but he came off at halftime due to a calf injury he had picked up in training.
The AC Milan midfielder missed the Americans' next match against Australia, and he sat out the first half against Turkey before coming on as a substitute in the 58th minute to that massive cheer from the raucous Los Angeles-area crowd.
Pulisic didn't stop to speak to reporters in the mixed zone after the loss, but he thinks he'll be ready when the U.S. attempts to win a knockout-round World Cup match for only the second time.
"I felt good, so it was really nice to be back with the team and get some minutes," Pulisic told Fox. "I felt good with the ball. It was a tough way to end for us, for sure. But at the end of the day, we win the group, and we just have to look forward to next week."
Pulisic said this week that he was ready to play again, and he created a scoring opportunity only a couple of minutes after he entered the 2-2 game with a dynamic run down the left side.
Pulisic nearly scored in the 63rd minute, but his quick shot in traffic was deflected off the goalpost by Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.
"You saw his quality, and you saw when he came in the impact he had," Sebastian Berhalter said. "He's our guy. he's a leader in his own right."
Pulisic had another excellent pass to Ricardo Pepi in injury time, but his teammate couldn't get off a shot. The U.S. appeared to be headed to a draw — until Turkey pulled out an extraordinary late goal that began with a bit of magic from Güler, the 21-year-old Real Madrid star.
Boxed into the corner by two Americans, Güler flicked the ball perfectly between Pulisic's legs and ran around him, creating the space necessary to start the final sequence. Salih Ozcan kicked a long cross to Can Uzun got the ball in space on the back post slipped it under sprawling goalkeeper Matt Turner to Ayhan.
That sequence aside, Pulisic's presence energized the American attack and portended well for its next match, according to his teammates.
"(Pulisic) is a special player," U.S. captain Weston McKennie told Fox. "There's no doubt that he adds something to the group. He adds his 1-on-1 qualities. Whenever the game might look dry or the game isn't creative or something, he can come in and be that player to create something out of thin air. It was good to see him back on the pitch. Hopefully we'll see him again in San Francisco."
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