Chris Richards Trains With USMNT but Will Miss Germany Friendly as He Recovers From Ankle Injury

U.S. men's national team defender Chris Richards will miss Saturday's friendly against Germany while recovering from an ankle injury sustained on May 17. Richards trained with the full squad for the first time on Friday in Chicago after completing individual work for several days.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said the 26-year-old center back is not yet ready to compete. "Today, he's training and his evolution is well, but he still is not ready to compete and to play," Pochettino said. "I think yes, at the moment, he's still doing his recovery.

M. ET at Soldier Field. The match will be broadcast on TNT and streamed on HBO Max. Betting odds list the United States at +420, a draw at +330, and Germany at -190.

U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, two days late after Crystal Palace's UEFA Conference League final. The club defeated an opponent in Leipzig, Germany, on May 27.

Richards was an unused substitute in that match and had already missed Crystal Palace's Premier League finale against Arsenal on May 24. He remained in Georgia and did not travel with the team for the USMNT's 3-2 victory over Senegal on Sunday. On Wednesday he worked with a resistance band and two staff members while teammates trained normally.

Pochettino said the squad list had been prepared on the expectation that Richards might play in the Conference League final. He noted repeated delays in receiving fitness information from the club. "When we decided the squad list, we thought Chris might play in the Conference League final," Pochettino said.

"We designed the roster based on information suggesting he could play that match against Rayo Vallecano; he was even on the bench for it. Later, we thought he might be available against Senegal but the timelines kept dragging it out. " Pochettino added that the lack of clarity from the club left the staff without sufficient data to assess Richards' condition.