Chris Richards Continues Ankle Rehab, Will Miss USMNT Friendly vs Senegal
U.S. defender Chris Richards will miss Sunday's friendly against Senegal while he continues rehabbing an ankle injury sustained with Crystal Palace. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said the team will reevaluate Richards next week with the World Cup opener 14 days away.
CBS SportsU.S. men's national team's friendly against Senegal on Sunday as he continues to rehab an ankle injury sustained in Crystal Palace's draw at Brentford on May 17. Richards was ruled out of Crystal Palace's Premier League finale against Arsenal and the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, which Palace won in Leipzig, Germany.
He was on the bench for the final but did not play and arrived at the USMNT's pre-World Cup training camp in the Atlanta suburbs on Friday morning. He did not train with the main group on Friday or Saturday. "We decided with Chris, with the medical staff and the performance [team for him] not to be part of today, the group," head coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Saturday.
"We are going to be in North Carolina playing tomorrow against Senegal. " Pochettino was unable to offer a timeline for Richards' return. "I was asking from yesterday, when [he] arrived, to Jesus [Perez, assistant coach] 100 times," Pochettino said.
"'What do you think? What do you think? ' Wait, wait, wait, wait. It's too early. We need to see. " World Cup squads are due to FIFA on Monday, and national teams can make changes until then. Teams can also make a roster change the day before their first World Cup match if a player is ruled out through injury.
The USMNT's first match is against Paraguay. Richards will not feature in Sunday's lineup as he continues his recovery. The last time he did not start for the USMNT was a 5-2 loss to Belgium in March, when Tim Ream partnered with Mark McKenzie.
The last time the team used three center backs without Richards was a 5-1 win over Uruguay in November, with Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, and Alex Freeman. Tyler Adams, who has battled hamstring injuries since the 2022 World Cup, could take part against Senegal. Pochettino said the priority for the trip is safety.
"What I want to see Sunday [is] that we are moving 25 players, plus the staff and everything, and be safe and come back here safe on Sunday after the game," he said. "Zero risk?
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