The United States World Cup opener was a magical Hollywood party … save for one prominent question mark.
First, the unquestionably good: With a relentless attack, ruthless finishing and an opening half to rival the best 45 minutes in U.S. men’s national team history, the Americans ripped through Paraguay, 4-1, to start this home tournament off in the sweetest of styles. It was, from a results standpoint, all the U.S. could have wanted.
The three-goal margin of victory was the United States’ largest at a World Cup since a pair of 3-0 wins in the inaugural tournament in 1930.
But now the curious: Christian Pulisic, the star midfielder, was substituted at halftime after delivering a world-class performance. A U.S. Soccer spokesman would not comment on whether Pulisic was hurt, saying only that the team’s coach, Mauricio Pochettino, would address the issue at his post-match news conference.
The Fox television broadcast showed footage of Pulisic walking by the stands and appearing to indicate to friends or family that he was not seriously injured.
It was, in many ways, the only thing that went (potentially) sideways for the U.S. all night. The 70,492 fans at SoFi Stadium just outside Los Angeles — only a sliver of which cheered for Paraguay — were able to celebrate from nearly the opening kickoff.
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