USMNT’s Chris Richards to Miss Germany Friendly and Faces Growing World Cup Doubt

United States international and reigning U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Chris Richards will miss the upcoming friendly against Germany in Chicago as the Crystal Palace defender continues his recovery from injury — a situation that is now placing his World Cup participation under serious doubt.

According to reporting by The Guardian, United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that Richards is not yet ready to return to action.

“He’s still not ready to compete and play,” Pochettino said on Friday.

“I think we are going to have that opportunity in the next few days to assess him and see his ankle, and then to make a decision.”

Richards sustained the injury during Crystal Palace’s penultimate Premier League fixture of the season against Brentford.

While the full details of the injury have not been officially disclosed, Palace manager Oliver Glasner previously confirmed that the defender had suffered torn ligaments in his ankle.

The injury ruled Richards out of Palace’s final league fixture against Arsenal and also prevented him from featuring in the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.

Ahead of the Arsenal match, Glasner had suggested Richards could still return in time for the European final — an assessment that initially created greater optimism regarding the defender’s prospects of being available for this summer’s World Cup.

That optimism had been strengthened further by reports indicating there was little concern within Richards’s camp regarding his tournament readiness.

However, recent developments suggest the recovery process may be progressing more slowly than initially expected.

Pochettino also expressed visible frustration over the situation and admitted concern over the increasing uncertainty surrounding one of his key players.

“In the end, the timelines [are] lengthening and [it] angers me a bit. I’m not happy, because we know Chris Richards is an important player. Of course we all know it.”

The USMNT manager also provided additional comments in Spanish to offer further context, once again highlighting what appeared to be a disconnect in information regarding the defender’s condition and expected recovery timeline.

With time rapidly running out before the World Cup, there is growing concern that the seriousness of the issue may only have become fully clear after Richards joined the national team camp.

The uncertainty now raises an increasingly difficult question for Pochettino — whether he could ultimately be forced to leave one of the most influential players in his squad out of the World Cup.

Germany, meanwhile, are no strangers to entering major tournaments while dealing with the absence of an important player during pre-competition preparations.