FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — American defender Chris Richards is doubtful for the World Cup after tearing two left ankle ligaments and will miss Sunday's friendly against Senegal.
Richards sustained the injury while playing for Crystal Palace on May 17 and arrived at the U.S. training camp Friday for evaluation by the medical and performance staff.
The waiting game
"The next few days are going to be key, to see the possibility to be ready or not on the World Cup," coach Mauricio Pochettino said Saturday.
Pochettino admitted he has asked first assistant Jesús Pérez about Richards' status repeatedly. "I was asking... 100 times, what do you think? The answer was wait, wait, wait, wait."
Richards, 26, missed the 2022 World Cup due to a hamstring injury. He will remain in Fayetteville rather than travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for Sunday's match.
Roster questions
Central defender is among the thinnest positions in the U.S. player pool, and Richards is considered the best American at that spot.
Twenty-six-man rosters must be submitted to FIFA by June 1, though the U.S. can replace injured players until June 11.
Other central defenders on the roster include captain Tim Ream, Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson. Vancouver's Tristan Blackmon and Toronto's Walker Zimmerman — a member of the 2022 World Cup squad — would be potential replacements.
It's the kind of luck the U.S. defense simply cannot afford right now.