The USMNT shattered a 96-year-old record by picking back-to-back victories at the World Cup for the first time since 1930. Their best player, Christian Pulisic, watched on from the sidelines as he was nursing an injury. But the star forward poses a massive selection headache to his coach, Mauricio Pochettino, as an analyst amplified the need to give the star some minutes on the pitch.

“I feel good,” Pulisic told reporters at the practice ground before the USMNT’s Group D game against Turkiye. “I joined the team [practicing] the last couple of days, and yeah, I’m hoping to play a part in tomorrow for sure.”

With the USMNT already punching their ticket to the knockouts as the group winners, the final game will not have any implications on the standings. But former USMNT star Kasey Keller and TV personality Jeremy Schaap answered how Pulisic should be used on the final matchday.

“First and foremost, we should know what his true status is,” Keller answered Schaap’s question on Pulisic’s availability against Turkiye. “If he’s at 100% and back in full training, then he needs to get 20-30 minutes. I don’t think Pulisic will start today. You don’t want to go to a situation in the round of 32, and he hasn’t played competitive first-team minutes for 19-20 days. So if you can give a competitive run out, it’s ideal.”

Christian Pulisic had one of his best club seasons with AC Milan heading into the home World Cup. He started the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay and was at his scintillating best. He was responsible for two of the three goals they scored against Paraguay in the first half as he set up a goal and forced an own goal. However, concerns emerged as Pulisic failed to emerge from the tunnel after the first half.

“I took a big kick to the calf a couple of days before the [first] game,” Pulisic later revealed. “Throughout the first half [against Paraguay], I felt good, and then I started to notice it a little bit, and I think adrenaline definitely carried me through.” Pochettino decided to replace him as a precaution in response to the calf injury he might have aggravated during the game.

Pulisic was involved in individual training for the game against Australia, as Pochettino raised caution about his usage. “At this point, if he’s not available for tomorrow, he’ll be available for the next game,” he said in the pre-match press conference.

His teammates showed their quality as they recorded a commanding 2-0 performance against Australia to seal progression to the round of 32. There is a real hope that the current squad will immortalize itself in US soccer history. But having Christian Pulisic in the starting lineup will be the x-factor they might need.

The 27-year-old last played on June 12 and has been without a competitive game in the meantime. If Pulisic misses tonight’s match, the USMNT faces Bosnia on July 1, exactly 20 days after his last competitive game. That’s a risk the USMNT can not afford, according to Keller, as Pulisic would be without any match fitness.

Pulisic already skipped the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup to recover after a grueling 50-game season. The USMNT reached the finals in his absence, but they would need Pulisic’s talismanic presence if they are to go all the way at the World Cup.

Neymar Jr. made his much-awaited return recently for Brazil against Scotland. After missing Brazil’s first two games at the group stages due to a calf strain, coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to give Neymar a runout in the middle to keep him prepared for the knockouts. Pochettino could adopt a similar approach in Thursday night’s encounter against Turkiye.

The coach also has a couple of crucial questions to answer before he names his lineup.

Pochettino faces rotation woes

Defenders Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, midfielder Tyler Adams, and forward Folarin Balogun have all picked up a yellow card in the USMNT’s first two games. They are another booking away from missing out on the round of 32 clash. However, the yellow cards will be wiped out after the group stages. This gives Pochettino a chance to let the players sit on the bench for 90 minutes.

“I think you can’t risk four yellows,” Keller explained. “You can’t risk a suspension in a game that doesn’t matter for a game that’s extremely important. I think the guys with yellows will sit. So from that tremendous start against Paraguay, you’ve got five changes, which is enough. I would be apprehensive about making 9-10 changes in a match like that. It loses momentum, and it loses the real intensity that you need.”

Pochettino himself was confident of making enough and believes the other stars in his team will step up. “I think everyone on this team is ready to step up,” he said during the pre-match press conference. “I feel like it would just be a normal thing for us.”

A former goalkeeper himself, Keller was quizzed about the chance of Matt Turner starting in goal tonight against Turkiye. Turner was the starting goalkeeper for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But Matt Freese has taken over the mantle after impressive performances. He conceded only once in two games and wasn’t overworked. With the Turkiye game having no implications, Turner might push for a start.

“It’s a rare opportunity to give your second goalkeeper minutes in a match like this,” he answered. “You don’t wanna make wholesale changes. There’s no right answer, there’s no wrong answer. The question is, are you ready for the round of 32? It gives you a unique opportunity to make changes.”

Mexico’s legendary goalkeeper Memo Ochoa came on for 12 minutes, replacing the starting goalkeeper Raul Rangel during their 3-0 win against Czechia. Mexico was in a similar situation to the USMNT, having won the group. Coach Javier Aguirre decided to honor Ochoa by giving him what could be his final World Cup appearance, and brought him as Ochoa marked his sixth World Cup campaign.

The USMNT is in an excellent position now. They know their opponents in the round of 32 and are probably five perfect performances away from creating the biggest shock in the history of the World Cup. Mauricio Pochettino has a well-rounded squad, and any player called upon will be raring to give their best.