Major Setback for USMNT Ahead of World Cup

United States defender Chris Richards faces a race against time to be fit for the 2026 World Cup after sustaining two torn ligaments in his left ankle, his Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed on Thursday. The injury comes just three weeks before Mauricio Pochettino's side kick off their World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 13.

The 26-year-old center-back appeared to twist his ankle during a substitute appearance for Palace against Brentford on Sunday. He received medical treatment on the pitch but finished the game, having come on after an hour.

"He tore two ligaments in his ankle," Glasner said in his pre-match press conference. "I think it's stable, but quite swollen, and we have to deal with the swelling. He has to get back on the pitch to be available, and it takes time."

Glasner has ruled Richards out of their final Premier League fixture against champions Arsenal and said it is "50-50" whether he will be able to return for Wednesday's Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.

"He is in from sunrise until sunset having treatments and everything we can do that reduces the swelling, and of course we have a great medical department, so we will give our best and he will give his best — and then let's see if we can get it done," Glasner added.

Richards' Importance to USMNT

Richards has been a central figure in Glasner's side this season, making 50 appearances in total, including in their Community Shield triumph, and only missing four league games. The former Bayern Munich player captained the United States in their most recent friendly, a loss to Portugal on April 1.

He has made 36 senior appearances for the USMNT since his debut six years ago and started four matches for the national team this season in total. The USMNT's roster will be revealed on May 25.

Analysis by senior soccer writer Greg O'Keefe suggests the full extent of Richards' ankle injury is likely to be concerning for Pochettino, given its timing just under four weeks before the USMNT's first World Cup game.

"Richards has been a key central defensive option on the national team roster, and would, if selected, likely have stood a strong chance of featuring in his country's opening fixture against Paraguay," O'Keefe wrote.

"He has appeared in 13 of Pochettino's 24 games in charge of the U.S. so far, and was picked in all of last summer's Gold Cup games. Pochettino knows Richards is comfortable playing in a back three, as he does for Palace, and will value his experience at a successful club side coming up against some of the world's best attackers in the Premier League."

World Cup Timing Concerns

Even with the very best recovery and medical support, it would be on the optimistic side to predict confidently that Richards will have fully recovered from two torn ligaments to be 100 percent fit by June 13.

It leaves Pochettino having to consider calling up a player who, while important to his plans, may not be fully fit until later in the group stages. However, Glasner does not seem to have completely given up on having Richards available for next week's Conference League final, so there is a chance his ligament tears are of the least severe type and can be managed.

Pochettino will hope that any rush to get the defender available for the Rayo Vallecano game does not come with a consequence for the rest of the summer.