U.S. SOCCER NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER (Fayetteville, Ga.) — United States center back Chris Richards, the top defender on coach Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, won’t play in Sunday’s pre-tournament preparation match against African power Senegal in Charlotte.
Richards injured ligaments in his left ankle playing for English Premier League club Crystal Palace on May 17. He was healthy enough to train ahead of Palace’s UEFA Conference League final win over Spain’s Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and dress for the match, but didn’t get off the bench.
The 26-year-old Birmingham, Alabama native traveled across the Atlantic the next day and arrived at U.S. Soccer’s sprawling practice facility on Friday morning, though he didn’t work out with teammates later in the day.
During Saturday’s pre-match press conference at the USA’s facility outside Atlanta, I asked Pochettino for an update on Richards’ health.
“We decided with Chris, with the medical and the performance staff, to not to be part of the group that is going to be in North Carolina playing tomorrow against Senegal,” he said. “I think he needs to keep doing his rehab, and I think it’s much better to stay here and plan to train and reevaluate next week how he is.”
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With the USA’s June 12 World Cup opener against Paraguay now less than two weeks away, Richards’ ankle is obviously a serious concern for the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager. Pochettino revealed that he’s repeatedly sought updates on Richards’ status from his top assistant coach, Jesús Pérez, over the last couple of days.
“I was asking from yesterday, [when Richards] arrived, to Jesús 100 times: What do you think?” Pochettino said. “The answer was ‘wait, wait, wait, wait.’ Yes, it’s too early. We need to see. The next few days are going to be key to see [if he’ll] be ready or not for the World Cup.”
If Richards can’t play, the Argentine has options. Although Pochettino named the 26-player U.S. squad on May 26, the 48 participating teams aren’t required to submit their final rosters to FIFA until Monday. Even then, Pochettino could replace Richards or any other injured player up to 24 hours before their first World Cup game.
