Christian Pulisic injury update after USA's perfect start to World Cup 2026 - latest

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USA 4-1 Paraguay: Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun were integral as the USA scored four in a World Cup match for the first time in their history.

Christian Pulisic sparked concern over an injury for the USA after his superb first-half display in their World Cup 2026 opener against Paraguay.

The USA secured the perfect start to their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win against a poor Paraguay side with 'Captain America' Pulisic and striker Folarin Balogun integral for the impressive hosts.

Pulisic played a major part in two goals as Mauricio Pochettino's side stormed into a 3-0 lead. But the USA coach removed his talisman at the break due to a calf problem, with Pochettino taking no risks with his No 10.

'I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, so I'm really hoping that it's nothing, Pulisic told reporters. 'Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine the next few days.'

'He received a kick in his calf and he felt tight at the end of the first half,

Pochettino said. 'We didn't want to take any risks. It was difficult for him to walk but hope that it is not a big issue and he can be ready for the next one.'

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The race for the golden boot at World Cup 2026 is expected to be fierce, with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal all leading contenders to finish as the tournament's top scorer.

France captain Mbappe and England skipper Kane are the previous two winners of the award, after all. Mbappe scored eight in 2022, including a hat-trick in the final, while Kane struck six for England in 2018.

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If players are tied for goals, the number of assists will determine who ranks higher. If there is still a tie, it comes down to minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings.

Two-goal USA striker Folarin Balogun on a 'dreamy night' as the World Cup co-hosts opened their tournament with a 4-1 win over Paraguay to kick their tournament into life.

'It's important to take each game at a time, said Balogun. But of course, Poch has said many times, 'Why not us? We have to believe, you can't do anything if you don't believe in yourself. So a 4-1 against a tough Paraguay side, we'll look to recover and rest for the next game.

'Three goals in the first half opening game, I felt like it was a real statement, and that's what we wanted to do. It's a dreamy night.'