USMNT's Christian Pulisic meets the moment in blowout win before injury scare — 'I'm really hoping that it's nothing'

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Halfway through a triumphant World Cup opener on home soil, the U.S. men's national team's near-perfect night took an alarming twist. Christian Pulisic was not among the 11 players who jogged onto the SoFi Stadium pitch for the start of Friday night's second half. Why would U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino pull the face of American soccer after a dazzling first half in which Pulisic set up two of his team's three goals and appeared capable of handling the pressure to deliver on a global stage? Was Pulisic hurt? Was it load management? Was it just precautionary?  A "kick" to the back of the left calf was to blame, Pulisic said after the U.S. team's 4-1 victory over Paraguay . When asked about the severity of the injury, the 27-year-old American said he was hopeful he would be able to play in the USMNT's second group play match next Friday against Australia.  "I'm really hoping that it's nothing," Pulisic said. "Taking a little bit of precaution tonight but I'm hoping I'll be fine in the next few days. "I've had similar things before. I'm staying positive. I don't think it's anything." USMNT's Christian Pulisic was subbed off at halftime Friday against Paraguay after a remarkable first half at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Kelvin Kuo via Getty Images Pulisic first "received a kick, a knock" two days earlier during a training session, Pochettino said after Friday's victory. At halftime, Pulisic "got cold" and "felt it more," according to Pochettino, leading the U.S. coach to make what he described as a "last-minute change." "Now I think it's better and hope for the next game he will be available," Pochettino added. Concern about Pulisic's health was one of the few blemishes from an otherwise sensational World Cup opener for a U.S. team with dreams of accomplishing more than merely surviving group play. A free-flowing, multi-faceted American attack netted three first-half goals and produced several more near-misses, delighting a giddy crowd of 70,492 and giving the rest of America reason to get behind this team. The first U.S. match on home soil in 32 years was a big enough event that the star power in the SoFi Stadium luxury suites exceeded that on the pitch. As kickoff approached, Tom Cruise and David Beckham autographed fans' caps and jerseys. Rob Lowe smiled when he appeared on the SoFi Stadium video board. Paris Hilton took a selfie, totally oblivious to the fact she was on-camera.    When the match began, all eyes turned to Pulisic to see if he could meet the moment, to see if he could hold up under the weight of immense expectations. The four-time American male player of the year has been the face of Fox's World Cup promos for months. His image is everywhere, from billboards, to magazine covers, to the Santa Monica pier, right next to Lionel Messi's and Lamine Yamal's.  While Pulisic endured a career-worst goal-scoring drought during the second half of his club season with AC Milan, he has performed like his old self since donning a USMNT jersey again. He was the team’s most dangerous attacker before exiting Friday's match, repeatedly creating goal-scoring opportunities by taking on players and running in behind the Paraguay defense.   The opening goal of the match came in the seventh minute thanks to Pulisic's creative brilliance on the ball. Marked by a pair of Paraguayan defenders, “Captain America” knifed in between them, burst into the box and slipped it to Weston McKennie in space. Damian Bobadilla then unwittingly poked McKennie's cross past his own keeper for an own goal, exactly the sort of start the U.S. needed to ease the pressure to perform in a home World Cup.  Pulisic also set up the USMNT’s second goal in the 31st minute, driving deep into the Paraguay box and cutting it back to Folarin Balogun. Balogun, completely unmarked, then side-footed the low cross past the goalkeeper and into the far side of the net.  When asked about Pulisic's performance, McKennie brought up the people "criticizing and being worried about whether he's going to be in form or not in form for the World Cup." Said McKennie: "I've always said it, and I will continue to say it … and the whole team will as well: Christian's a guy that shows up in the big moments when you need him." With set-piece specialist Sebastian Berhalter replacing Pulisic in the second half, the U.S. wasn't as dangerous on the left side. The Americans surrendered a sloppy goal in the 73rd minute and didn't answer back until Gio Reyna delivered a bolt of brilliance off the outside of his foot deep in stoppage time.  Even so, this was a near-perfect start for the U.S. … as long as Pulisic is right that his injury isn't anything to be concerned about. The Americans took a massive step toward advancing out of their group and gave their fans reasons to dare to dream they can accomplish more.  "A half like that, for it to go as it did and have the fans really excited about our performance, it felt amazing," Pulisic said.  "Things were definitely clicking. It was really nice to see."