Christian Pulisic will miss AC Milan’s next Serie A match against Fiorentina on Sunday after the Italian club diagnosed the American midfielder with a “low-grade injury” to his right hamstring on Friday.
Pulisic, 27, suffered the injury while representing the U.S. men’s national team in a 2–1 win over Australia on Wednesday in Commerce City, Colorado. He left the match after a tackle from Australia’s Jason Geria in the 26th minute, and underwent an MRI upon returning to Milan, where the club diagnosed his injury.
Milan have not set a firm timeline for his return, but confirmed that his status will be re-evaluated in 10 days, officially ruling him out of their upcoming clash with Fiorentina.
Pulisic played a mere 18 minutes in the USMNT’s opening match of the October camp against Ecuador due to ankle discomfort. However, head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that the issue that pulled him out against Australia wasn't a hamstring injury.
Milan were reportedly 'fuming' with the USMNT for risking Pulisic in a friendly match, considering he co-leads Serie A in goalscoring with four goals.
However, the USMNT does not have any competitive matches until their World Cup opener on June 12 in Los Angeles. This is because they did not participate in Concacaf World Cup qualifying, securing their spot at the 48-team tournament as a host alongside Canada and Mexico.
Pochettino, meanwhile, mentioned the U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision to play in Austin’s hot climate and the cold, high-altitude environment of Commerce City within less than a week as a potential cause.
“It’s not a criticism, but when you have days in training in Austin where it’s (85–95 degrees Fahrenheit; 29–35 degrees Celsius) then you come to Denver with the altitude and it’s really, really cold—it’s a massive risk,” he told reporters.
“I don’t want to say this is why Christian or Malik [Tillman] felt something, but it’s tough on the players. We’re really sad about this situation because it’s difficult. It’s something we need to fix in the future.”
Milan currently sit third in Serie A, and will close out their October schedule against Pisa on Oct. 24 and Atalanta on Oct. 28, which could see Pulisic return to the lineup.
The USMNT do not return to action until the November international window, where they will face Paraguay on Nov. 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Uruguay on Nov. 18 in Tampa, Florida.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as AC Milan Reveal Christian Pulisic Injury Extent, Timeline for Return.