U.S. forward Christian Pulisic continued rehabilitation work on a calf injury on Monday, participating in individual training and gym sessions separate from his teammates at the U.S. training base in Irvine, California. Pulisic sustained the injury during a training session last week and was limited to just one half in the Americans’ 4-1 opening World Cup victory over Paraguay, exiting the match at halftime as a precaution. The U.S. team did not provide an updated diagnosis on his condition Monday, though Pulisic expressed optimism after the match that the injury was not serious.
Brazil’s hopes for Neymar’s timely return to World Cup action faced uncertainty following new tests on the forward’s injured right leg. Despite earlier speculation that Neymar might resume training, the 34-year-old Santos player remained sidelined and did not join Brazil’s group sessions. The Brazilian soccer confederation withheld the results of the latest medical assessments. Neymar has been out since damaging his right leg during a match in Brazil on May 17, and this tournament marks his fourth World Cup appearance.
Canada’s captain Alphonso Davies was limited in Monday’s session as he continues recovery from a hamstring injury sustained last month. The Bayern Munich left back participated in warm-ups but remained under a return-to-play protocol ahead of Canada’s second group match against Qatar on Thursday in Vancouver. Davies was injured during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semifinal draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
New Zealand also faced injury setbacks when midfielder Matt Garbett was ruled out of the squad after sustaining a hamstring injury during weekend training. The 24-year-old who plays for Peterborough in England’s third division was replaced by forward Logan Rogerson in the 26-man roster.
Belgium winger Jérémy Doku could face absences later in the tournament due to the impending birth of his first child. Doku, a 24-year-old Manchester City player, indicated that his wife is expected to give birth during the knockout rounds in early July. Should the timing coincide with Belgium’s matches, Doku may need to return to England from Seattle to be present for the birth.
In officiating news, video review official Shaun Evans was cleared of violating FIFA’s disciplinary code after drawing scrutiny for a hand gesture during Germany’s match against Curaçao. The gesture resembled the “okay” symbol that has been associated with white supremacist groups by the Anti-Defamation League since 2019. However, a FIFA committee determined the hand motion was an involuntary twitch rather than an intentional display, allowing Evans to remain on duty in the tournament.