United States Routs Paraguay, Star Forward Exits With Injury

The United States Men's National Team rolled to a dominant and impressive win over Paraguay on Friday, 4-1, in its opening Group D match at the World Cup. But the victory came with a touch of concern, as star midfielder Christian Pulisic was pulled from the game at halftime — leaving American fans holding their breath.

Christian Pulisic Exits With Injury in Rout of Paraguay

The USMNT carried a commanding lead into the break on Friday and had no problem putting away Paraguay without its star forward. Still, with the team's next group stage match against Australia looming, all eyes are on whether Pulisic will be ready to go.

Pulisic addressed the situation after the match, easing some of the worry. "Obviously, great (first) half from us. I got a bit of a kick to the back of my calf, but I'm hoping it's nothing serious at all," he said. "I'm going to do everything. I'll be back for the next one… I'm going to give everything I can to be back, that's for sure."

Before exiting, Pulisic was a massive factor in the win. He recorded an assist in the first half and consistently created space with his creativity and dribbling, setting the tone for a USMNT side that looked sharp from the opening whistle.

"Just that all our preparation, honestly, over the last year, it all came together tonight. Just the energy that we brought right from the start of that game, and just showed that we can do it on a big stage, so we should be really happy with that," Pulisic added.

The United States will take on Australia next Friday at 3 p.m. EST.

"Honestly, it was a different feeling," Pulisic added after Friday's win. "It was a bit of calmness, being in the U.S. and leading up to the game, it was an awesome preparation. So, we just want to continue like this and try to really enjoy this moment because it's so special."