Chris Richards will miss the United States men's national team’s final World Cup warm-up match against Germany on June 6 due to an ankle injury sustained in May [1, 2]. Richards injured his ankle on May 17 while playing for Crystal Palace and has not appeared in a match since [1, 3, 2].
He missed Crystal Palace’s Premier League final against Arsenal on May 24 and was an unused substitute in the UEFA Conference League final three days later [1, 3, 2]. Richards arrived late to the USMNT’s pre-World Cup camp on May 29 after flying from Europe but initially trained individually [3, 2]. On June 3, he trained with the full USMNT group for the first time but still performed some exercises separately, including resistance band work [1, 3, 2].
Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the USMNT, said Richards "is still not ready to compete and play" but added that the team will reassess his condition after the Germany friendly. Pochettino said, "I think we have, after that game, the possibility in the next few days to assess him and see his ankle, how it's [evolving] and then to make a decision" regarding his availability for the World Cup [1, 3, 2]. The coach also noted that Richards’ recovery and potential for the tournament will be key in the coming days, with decisions due shortly [3].
Richards is considered an important player for the USMNT as they approach the World Cup, for which he was listed in the squad submitted on June 1. The team has until 24 hours before its opening match on June 12 to replace any injured players [1, 3].
The USMNT faces Germany on June 6 in what is their final friendly before the World Cup opener on June 12 [1, 2]. The status of Richards for the tournament will be clarified after this final match and further assessment of his ankle injury.
