Christian Pulisic was back in the game in the 58th minute, returning after missing the previous match with a calf injury. He came on for Tim Weah as the United States finished a 2-2 draw with four goals total.
That change mattered because Mauricio Pochettino’s side had already clinched first place in Group D before the match, and the group stage was ending with the United States moving on to the round of 32. Pulisic’s return gave the team another option without forcing it to chase anything in the standings.
The opening after halftime was already being shaped by Sebastian Berhalter, whose equalizing goal was the only effort on target since the break. That left the match balanced at 2-2 and made Pulisic’s appearance less about rescuing a result than about getting him back into the rhythm of play after the calf problem that kept him out last time.
The unanswered piece is how much that injury still limits him. A 58th-minute return suggests the staff was comfortable easing him in, not asking him to carry the full load, and that is the question that now matters most for the next round: whether he can handle more minutes, or whether the United States will keep managing him carefully as the knockout stage begins.
