Christian Pulisic says calf injury improving, hopes to reach full fitness for Turkey clash

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pulisic-christian/vTuaEfRq/"]Pulisic[/a] has not played since being substituted ‌at halftime in the win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a] after feeling ‌discomfort in his left calf. He missed Friday's 2-0 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a], ‌despite saying he had been close to featuring in that ‌match.[/p][p]"I'm feeling good," Pulisic told reporters at the U.S. training camp on Wednesday.[/p][p][b]"I joined with the team in the last few days, so I'm ‌feeling good, feeling positive, and hopefully I'll be ⁠able to play a part ‌tomorrow."[/b][/p][p]Pulisic said the injury stemmed from a heavy kick to the calf ​he took in training a few days before the Paraguay game. He said he felt fine early in that ​match before the problem worsened during the first half.[/p][p]"I don't even know exactly," he said when asked about the exact nature of ⁠the injury.[/p][p]"I took a ​big kick to the calf a couple of days before the game. Throughout the first half, I felt good, and then I started to notice it a little bit. I think adrenaline definitely carried ‌me through.[/p][p][b]"I think I had a pretty strong contusion, strain, whatever you want to call it. But again, it's been a lot better."[/b][/p][embed guid="652a21ec-c02b-4ea3-b800-aba24e4e19f0" url="https://x.com/ProFootballDoc/status/2067087269241209116" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Pulisic close to playing in Australia match[/h2][p]The 27-year-old forward said sitting out the Australia match had been difficult.[/p][p][b]"Honestly, it was tough after the first game, just knowing that I felt a little something," Pulisic said. "I never really feared the worst, but I obviously didn't want it to keep me out any longer than ‌I had to."[/b][/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/fuitL4CF/"]United States[/a] has secured qualification for the knockout ​rounds after winning its first two matches, making Thursday's game ‌against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a] at Los Angeles Stadium a dead rubber in terms of advancement.[/p][p]"When you win your last game, you go into the next one with that little bit of extra good feeling," he said.[/p][p]"That winning mentality feeling sticks with you. ⁠My teammates have made it ⁠so much easier on ‌me because they got another incredible win."[/p]