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Fans of Chelsea FC and the United States Men’s National Team received some startling news this morning, as Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed that Christian Pulisic has tested positive for Covid-19. Pulisic had trained with the team on Tuesday, but has been been absent since then. He now has to isolate for 10 days according to British protocols.
“Christian...he had a positive test and needs to follow the protocols so he was not in training and not available for the game,” Tuchel said during a pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s match against Arsenal FC tomorrow at the Emirates.
Even more important for USMNT fans is that the question now turns to whether Pulisic will be cleared before the beginning of World Cup qualifying on September 2nd. Head coach Gregg Berhalter is expected to announce his roster sometime next week, and the race will be on to see whether Christian will be cleared and received the documentation needed to join the team.
Tuchel says Christian Pulisic has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the Arsenal game. Get well, Christian. First USMNT World Cup qualifier is in 13 days.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 20, 2021
Despite the setback, Christian Pulisic seems to be in good spirits. He posted a message on his Instagram story to his fans:
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We wish Christian a speedy recovery and hope he’s back to 100% soon.