Crystal Palace says USMNT center back Chris Richards has two torn ligaments in his left ankle after a collision on May 17. He is out for the club’s final Premier League match, and his availability for next week’s UEFA Conference League final hinges on a race a
The question arriving with every passing day is simple: how fast can an ankle heal when a season’s biggest stages are already locked on the calendar?
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner delivered the worrying update Thursday. May 21. saying US men’s national team defender Chris Richards has two torn ligaments in his left ankle. Glasner said Richards would be ruled out of Crystal Palace’s final English Premier League game. and he framed the outlook for next week’s UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano as a coin flip.
“It’s stable but it’s quite swollen. Now we have to deal with the swelling,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference. “It will really be a race against time.”
That “time” matters not only for Crystal Palace’s European hopes, but also for the U.S. national team’s rapid march toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Richards’ injury came Sunday, May 17, in a 77th-minute collision with Brentford’s Igor Thiago. Glasner later said Richards was injured enough that Crystal Palace would not risk him in the Premier League finale, while keeping an open door for Rayo Vallecano.
“It will be 50-50” if he’ll be able to play in next week’s UEFA Conference League final, Glasner said.
For the World Cup, the clock is already running in parallel. Mauricio Pochettino will announce his 26-man roster on Tuesday, May 26. The U.S. men open their first game June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles. Their warm-up schedule also includes friendlies May 31 against Senegal in Charlotte and June 6 against Germany in Chicago.
Richards is widely seen as a fixture in the U.S. back line. He started every game of the Gold Cup last season and has made 36 appearances for the USMNT, including 12 under Pochettino.
Glasner said the club is treating Richards as if every hour can still be turned into progress.
“He’s in from sunrise until sunset, having treatment and everything we can do that reduces the swelling,” the manager said. “We will give our best and he will give his best and we’ll see if we can get it done.”
The sequence is stark: Richards is out of Crystal Palace’s final Premier League match, his left ankle is “stable” but swollen enough to be treated like an urgent problem, and his chance to play the European final is still uncertain at “50-50” as the World Cup roster decision approaches.
In the end, the injury update doesn’t just change one lineup—it shifts the stress onto every training session between now and the dates that matter for both clubs and country.
Chris Richards USMNT Crystal Palace Oliver Glasner torn ligaments left ankle UEFA Conference League final Rayo Vallecano 2026 World Cup roster Mauricio Pochettino Tyler Adams Paraguay Senegal Germany