Chris Richards has been ruled out of the United States’ final friendly match against Germany, as confirmed by head coach Mauricio Pochettino during a press briefing on Friday.
The defender’s availability for the World Cup remains highly uncertain while Pochettino awaits additional evaluations of his condition.
“He’s still not ready to compete and play,” Pochettino remarked. “I believe we will have the chance in the coming days to evaluate him further and examine his ankle before making a decision.”
Richards sustained an ankle injury during Crystal Palace’s penultimate Premier League game against Brentford. Although the specifics of the injury remain unclear, Palace manager Oliver Glasner mentioned that he had damaged ligaments in his ankle. Consequently, he missed the final league match against Arsenal, as well as the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano. Before the Arsenal game, Glasner had suggested that Richards might be fit for the European final, a statement that had raised hopes regarding his participation in the upcoming World Cup.
Pochettino suggested on Friday that he believed Richards was nearing match fitness, referencing Glasner’s earlier comments about the defender potentially being available for the Conference League final.
As the clock ticks down to the World Cup, Pochettino and his coaching staff face a pressing decision regarding a key player’s readiness for competition, especially with the opening group stage match against Paraguay set for June 12.
“There was a line of information where we thought he might play that final against Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League,” Pochettino stated in Spanish. “He was on the bench, remember? Subsequently, we believed he could possibly feature against Senegal. Ultimately, the timelines are lengthening, and it frustrates me a bit. I’m not pleased, because we know Chris Richards is a crucial player. This is something we all recognize.”
During the pre-World Cup training camp, Richards dedicated his time to rehabilitation alone until he joined his teammates for a session at the National Training Center on Wednesday. While the rest participated in the usual pre-training stretching and rondos, Richards worked on a separate field with two trainers, focusing on resistance bands and lateral movements.
“We will never decide to put a player at risk, even minimally,” Pochettino asserted on Friday. “We prefer to avoid taking risks. This is why the players who will start or come off the bench are those who are healthy and fully fit.”
Who Might Fill In for Richards?
With Richards sidelined during last weekend’s 3-2 victory over Senegal, Mark McKenzie stepped into the center-back position. Tim Ream played from the left, while Alex Freeman provided support by dropping deeper defensively and contributing to build-up play in wider areas.
The uncertainty surrounding Richards’s status highlights the number of defenders Pochettino has included in his 26-player squad, featuring five center-backs and several wide defenders capable of playing centrally. This depth has allowed for significant time to build chemistry among the defenders ahead of the tournament, reducing the necessity for an exact replacement should Richards be unable to participate in the World Cup.
Teams competing in the World Cup can make medical changes to their rosters until 24 hours prior to the commencement of the group stages. Pochettino has until June 11 to decide whether Richards will remain part of his plans for the tournament.
“Ultimately, we can hope that Chris will be there,” Pochettino said. “However, we must consider that we might have a player who hasn’t competed in a month, forcing us to make a decision on whether he is fit to compete or not. And there isn’t much time left before the World Cup begins.”
