While his U.S. teammates gathered in New York City for the official unveiling of the 26-man World Cup roster, Chris Richards watched from the bench in Leipzig, Germany as Crystal Palace faced Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Palace claimed their first European trophy with a 1-0 victory, securing the third-tier European title despite Richards being unable to contribute on the pitch.
The defender, who started 31 Premier League matches this season, suffered two torn ligaments in his ankle during league action against Brentford last week, putting his availability in question ahead of the World Cup.
Injury Update
"Chris is okay, but he's not at 100%," Glasner told TNT Sports ahead of the final. "We decided after talking to him this morning that it's better to have him on the bench."
Richards was at least rostered for Wednesday's title bout and reportedly attended Palace's training session this week—a positive sign for his World Cup prospects.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino had no updates on Richards's injury status and planned to wait until after the final to assess his condition.
World Cup Importance
Richards is arguably the most important player to the USMNT's World Cup hopes this summer, offering an elite presence to the backline after establishing himself as a Premier League star defender over the past two seasons.
In 2025, Pochettino heavily relied on Richards, who played a key role as a set-piece target in the run to the Concacaf Gold Cup final—the last competitive match before the World Cup.
Friendlies Approaching
The USMNT began World Cup training camp on Wednesday at the new national training center in Atlanta, laying the groundwork before playing their first pre-World Cup friendly against Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday.
Richards is expected to fly to the U.S. soon after the Conference League final and has not been ruled out of Sunday's friendly nor the send-off match against Germany on June 6.
Should he suffer a setback, the USMNT has until 8:59 p.m. ET/5:59 p.m. PT on June 11 to make final roster changes before the 26-player group is locked for the tournament.