United States and Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic will not play in the U.S. national soccer team’s friendly game against Wales following as a result of his hamstring injury, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Wednesday. As a result, he is expected to shortly leave the national team’s camp in Cardiff, Wales.
The Chelsea star suffered the hamstring injury during his club’s Premier League 3-0 victory over Burnley on October 31st, after which the injury was further aggravated during training prior to the exhibition match against Wales.
U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter was looking forward to seeing Pulisic in action, particularly since he had not gathered his first choice team in over a year. He explained that, while Pulisic had to seek treatment from the medical staff, it was great to see him in action for three or four days.
This injury means that Pulisic will miss out on the international first-team debut of Gio Reyna, the son of retired U.S. team captain Claudio Reyna. While Reyna will not have the benefit of playing alongside Pulisic against Wales, he remains confident in his abilities and is adamant that he will not change his playing style as a means of adaption.
“I think I just have to play my game like always try to do, like I’ve done with Dortmund so far,” Reyna explained. “I think if I can emulate what I did at Dortmund so far this season here, I think I can be successful here too.”
