Chris Richards injured his ankle on May 17, 2026, tearing two ligaments in a Premier League match for Crystal Palace against Brentford [1, 2, 3, 4]. The 26-year-old defender missed Crystal Palace’s UEFA Conference League final win due to the injury [1, 2, 3, 4].
Richards has not trained with the USMNT main group since May 29 and 30 and was left out of the squad for the pre-World Cup friendly against Senegal on May 31, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Instead, Richards stayed at the USMNT facility in Atlanta to continue his rehabilitation [1, 2, 3, 4].
US coach Mauricio Pochettino explained, "We decided with Chris, with the medical and the performance staff, (for him) to not be part of the group that is going to be in North Carolina playing tomorrow against Senegal" [1]. He added, "I think he needs to keep doing his rehab, and I think it's much better to stay here and plan to train and reevaluate next week how he is" [2].
Pochettino also said it was "too early" to know if Richards would be fit for the World Cup, stating, "The next few days are going to be key to see the possibility, to see if he's ready or not" [1, 3, 4].
Richards was not present at the USMNT’s 26-man roster reveal in New York City. Instead, he sent a video message [4]. The final World Cup rosters are due to FIFA by June 1, 2026, but teams can make injury replacements up to 24 hours before their first match [3, 4].
Meanwhile, Tim Ream, who has 80 career US appearances, was named captain for the Senegal friendly [1, 2]. The United States will open Group D at the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles [1, 2, 4].
