Pulisic exits USMNT friendly with ankle injury vs Australia

Christian Pulisic left the United States men's national team friendly against Australia on Tuesday in Commerce City, Colorado, after appearing to aggravate an ankle injury, forcing him off in the 31st minute as the U.S. rallied to a 2-1 win. The AC Milan forward was attended on the field after a heavy challenge and a subsequent foul, was substituted for Diego Luna, and walked off under his own power toward the locker room with the team medical staff.

The injury sequence began in the 26th minute when Australia defender Jason Geria committed a forceful tackle that drew a yellow card. Pulisic remained on the turf for treatment but returned to play before being clipped again a short time later while attempting to mount a U.S. attack. Following evaluation by trainers, coach Mauricio Pochettino removed him from the match. Haji Wright equalized two minutes after Pulisic left the field and later added a second-half goal to secure the victory.

Pochettino had cautioned before the match that Pulisic was managing a lingering ankle issue that first surfaced during AC Milan preseason and produced swelling after a recent training session. Speaking at a pregame news conference, Pochettino said,...