Chris Richards will miss the Germany friendly, and Mauricio Pochettino has made the situation plain again. The USA centre-back is still recovering from the ankle injury he picked up last month against Crystal Palace and Brentford, when he suffered two torn ligaments. The USMNT now have only days before they kick off Group D on June 12 against Paraguay.
Why Pochettino is still holding him back
Pochettino said Richards is "not ready to compete and to play," which is the clearest line in the whole story. He also said the defender was training, but not yet ready for selection. That leaves a gap between what Richards feels and what the staff are willing to trust.
Richards said he feels good and is getting ready for the opener a week from today, but that does not change the reality for this weekend. Pochettino has already said the timelines were lengthening and that the delay has irritated him because Richards is an important player. There is still no reason to treat the opener as settled.
Who steps in if Richards stays out
The backup work has already started. Mark McKenzie replaced Richards in the starting three-back against Senegal and played 45 minutes, while Auston Trusty had three big defensive contributions in the second half of that game. Those are not abstract insurance policies, they are live options if Pochettino has to keep Richards out for longer.
McKenzie also brings a recent 7.0 Ligue 1 rating, and Trusty’s three big defensive actions against Senegal at least give the staff evidence that both can handle the minutes. The bigger issue is still Richards himself. He was voted 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year in January, and he missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because of a leg injury two months before the tournament. The USA do not want to repeat that picture now.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →