United States soccer star Christian Pulisic did not travel with the men's national team to El Salvador for their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying opener on Thursday due to his COVID-19 absence, the USSF confirmed Wednesday. U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday evening that goalkeeper Zack Steffen also did not travel to El Salvador due to back spasms, elevating Gold Cup standout Matt Turner to the starting role.
Pulisic, 22, announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 18, saying that he was fully vaccinated and had no symptoms. After isolating for at least 10 days in London, per British guidelines, he cleared coronavirus protocols and participated in USMNT workouts on Monday and Tuesday.
The Chelsea midfielder missed two Premier League matches due to the virus, with his most recent appearance the opener against Crystal Palace on Aug. 14. Berhalter said Pulisic is day-to-day and his status will be checked when the team returns to Nashville prior to a Sept. 5 qualifier against Canada.
Considering his prolonged absence from playing and training, the U.S. opted to leave Pulisic back in Nashville to continue training in order to gain fitness for the second two games of the three-game window. The U.S. is playing three qualifiers in seven days.
The Americans' first qualifier against El Salvador is Thursday at 10:05 p.m. ET. The USMNT will take on Canada on Sept. 5, followed by a matchup at Honduras on Sept. 8.
(Photo: John Dorton / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
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