Pochettino unhappy about Richards' injury ahead of World Cup

Coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday that injured defender Chris Richards will miss the United States’ friendly against Germany. He also shared his frustration about Richards’ uncertain status for the World Cup squad.

Crystal Palace center-back Richards has 36 caps for the US team. He would likely be Pochettino’s first choice at center-back next to captain Tim Ream. However, Richards suffered an ankle injury last month.

The US team will face Germany in Chicago on Saturday without Richards. He was included in the World Cup squad, but FIFA rules allow for a replacement until 24 hours before the co-hosts’ first match.

“Today, he’s training… but he’s still not ready to compete and to play,” Pochettino said on Friday.

After the Germany game, “we have the possibility in the next few days to assess him and see his ankle… and then to make a decision.”

The US is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico. They will start their campaign in Los Angeles next Friday against Paraguay. Other teams in their group are Australia and Turkey.

The US team won against Senegal in a friendly last weekend. But their defense, led by 38-year-old Ream and Toulouse defender Mark McKenzie, seemed shaky, allowing two goals from Sadio Mane.

Richards has not played since Palace faced Brentford on May 17. He was on the bench but did not play in Palace’s Europa Conference League final on May 27.

Pochettino expressed his frustration with Richards’ recovery timeline. He mentioned that he might not have chosen Richards for the squad if he had known how serious the injury was.

“When we decided on the squad list, we thought Chris might play in the Conference League final,” Pochettino said in Spanish.

“Based on the information we had, we believed he could play that final, and he was actually on the bench for it, and perhaps even be available against Senegal.

“In the end, the timelines dragged on a bit. It makes me a bit angry, I’m not happy about it, because we know Richards is an important player. We all know that.

“But regarding the information we were working with, sometimes there’s a lack of clarity.”

Pochettino worried that waiting for Richards to recover might hurt the team. He said, “we’d end up with a player who hasn’t been competing, and then we’d have to decide if he’s fit enough to play.

“There isn’t much time at the World Cup.