U.S. men’s national team star center back Chris Richards anticipates to be fully healthy by next week’s World Cup opener on June 12 against Group D foe Paraguay.
Fear struck USMNT supporters nationwide last month when it was revealed that the 26-year-old defensive stalwart tore two ligaments in his ankle, sidelining him for the remainder of the Premier League campaign and the foreseeable future. He missed Crystal Palace’s title-win against Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final on May 27 as well as the start to the USMNT’s pre-World Cup training camp and international friendly against Senegal last Sunday. USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino also revealed Friday morning that Richards will be unavailable for the send-off friendly against Germany on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Richards expressed with confidence that he will be ready and available to make his World Cup debut on home soil, which will be integral to any deep run the USMNT intends to make this summer.
“I feel good,” Richards tells Sports Illustrated on Friday afternoon. “When I first got into camp after two long days of travel, I had a bit of a swollen ankle, but I’ve been doing treatment almost 24 hours [per day], so I feel really good, and I’m getting ready for the opener a week from today. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Alarm bells rang when he was designated unavailable for Saturday’s friendly; however, Richards is already back to full-contact play. He returned to the pitch earlier this week, training off to the side individually before joining in with the rest of the group for the first half of Friday’s team session.
“They figured it was no rush for me to get back for the friendly, so we just took it at our own pace,” he adds.
Although Richards has only been sidelined for less than three weeks and is widely considered the USMNT’s strongest center back option, the big question remains whether or not his fitness will be up to the standards of the tournament and Pochettino himself. The Argentine boss has until 24 hours prior to the first World Cup match to make an injury-related swap to his roster and is far from decided on the matter.
“We have, after that game [against Germany], the possibility in the next few days to assess him and see his ankle, his revolution and then to make a decision,” Pochettino said early Friday.
What Chris Richards Brings to the USMNT
Richards’s current predicament gives a harsh reminder of the past. Despite making his senior debut back in 2020, the center back missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a leg injury sustained two months prior to the tournament.
Since then, though, he has proven himself as a key force for the Stars and Stripes. In 36 caps, he has shown his calming presence on the ball, his dominance in the air, the fluidity with which he adjusts between Pochettino’s experimental formations and the threat he brings to the opponent’s box on set pieces.
Richards was integral in the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League victory in 2023, opening scoring in the inevitable 2–0 title win against Canada with a header off of a corner kick. He also shined in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, scoring two more goals off of set pieces, including one header in the final against Mexico. He was voted 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year this January, in large part due to his performance at the Gold Cup.
The defender out of Birmingham, Ala. is also establishing himself as a leader off the field . “For me, it’s just to be the guy that people can lean on or look to for guidance, but also for strength,” he says.
Given his injury history—past and preent, Richards places a lot of emphasis on his body’s recovery. He has recently partnered with Stelo, which offers a small biosensor that he wears on the back of his right arm that continuously tracks his glucose and connects to his phone, providing him real-time information so he can best refuel for his recovery and energy levels after training sessions.
Although Pochettino has named four other center backs to his official World Cup roster, he will need to rely on a fully healthy and fit Richards for any chance of fulfilling his lofty ambition of a historic semifinal run this summer.
