Pochettino: Richards ankle decision looms before Paraguay opener

Mauricio Pochettino said Chris Richards is set to miss the USA’s final World Cup friendly against Germany as the defender recovers from an ankle injury, with a “decision” expected in the coming days over whether he can be ready for the opener against Paraguay

A week before the USA kick off their World Cup campaign, Chris Richards’ ankle has become the problem Mauricio Pochettino can’t solve with guesswork.

On Friday, the USA head coach confirmed the Crystal Palace defender will miss the final warm-up friendly against Germany. He also said a “decision” will have to be made in the coming days about Richards’ tournament readiness. with the opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12 already locked in. By then. Richards will have been out for nearly a month after hurting his ankle in Crystal Palace’s penultimate Premier League game.

The tension is sharp because Richards is not just any member of the 26-man group. Pochettino described him as a key part of his backline. and the defender’s availability has shaped the squad as it was built. Richards had been struggling with the ankle since it was damaged on May 17. and he has already missed Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League final win and the USA’s warm-up game against Senegal.

Yet there were signs of encouragement on Friday. Richards joined his teammates for the open portion of training before telling Sports Illustrated he “feels good” and will be ready to face Paraguay. It’s a message that contrasts with the frustration Pochettino didn’t hide.

The USA coach said he was “not happy” with the information he had been given about Richards’ recovery when he named his World Cup roster. “When we decided on the squad list. we thought he could play in the Conference League final and that’s how we built the roster. ” Pochettino said. “At the time. the information we had suggested that he might be able to play in that final against Rayo Vallecano. In fact, he was on the bench, among the substitutes. Then we thought he might perhaps be available against Senegal, as well. But in the end, the timelines kept getting pushed back, and that frustrates me a bit.”.

Pochettino’s concern, in the bluntest terms, is what happens if the wait costs them the chance to prepare. “We can keep waiting and hoping that Chris will be available. but as you said. we may end up with a player who arrives [at the World Cup] without having competed. Then we have to decide whether he’s fit enough to compete or not. and there isn’t much time during the World Cup. ” he said.

He added: “Perhaps the information we had wasn’t the information we should have been relying on to make the best decisions. We don’t want to find ourselves in a situation where we reach the second match and the player isn’t available.”

That’s where the clock starts to bite. Teams can still make changes to their World Cup roster in the event of an injury up until 24 hours before their first game, which means Richards has less than a week to prove he is ready.

Pochettino gave a clear picture of why they haven’t tried to force it. “Maybe if tomorrow was the final of the World Cup he could play. but the advice of the medical team was to not play. ” he said. “He’s not ready to compete and to play… in the next few days we have the possibility to assess him and his ankle, then to make a decision.”.

A few hours later, Richards attempted to calm the picture from the training ground. After two long days of travel. he said he first arrived at camp with “a bit of a swollen ankle. ” but has been doing treatment “almost 24 hours [per day].” He told Sports Illustrated he “feels really good” and is “getting ready for the opener a week from today. ” adding: “I’m really looking forward to it.”.

The story now turns on what the assessment reveals in the coming days—because for the USA, the choice is no longer about whether Chris Richards wants to go, but whether his ankle will let him compete when June 12 arrives against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.

Chris Richards Mauricio Pochettino USA USMNT World Cup Paraguay Germany friendly ankle injury Crystal Palace SoFi Stadium 26-man roster