MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Miles Robinson will miss the United States' friendlies against Belgium and Portugal because of a groin injury and Chris Richards is likely to sit out both games with a knee problem, leaving the American central defense with few options in the last two matches before coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup roster.
Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty are the only available central defenders for Saturday's game against Belgium.
Outside back Joe Scally and defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann also are options in central defense, Pochettino said Friday. Pochettino has used a three-central defender formation since September.
Robinson injured his groin during training on Tuesday, according to Pochettino.
Richards played until the 75th minute in Crystal Palace's Europa Conference League match at Larnaca on March 19. He definitely won't play Saturday and likely won't be available Tuesday.
“The club gave permission to come to America and he report(ed) some problems in his knee,” Pochettino said. “After we were assessing him, he was training some part of the training Tuesday but he (could) not finish Wednesday and he now feels something in his knee. We hope that it’s nothing important but for tomorrow is out and I don’t believe that (he) can arrive Tuesday.”
Pochettino said dealing now with switches caused by injuries could benefit the team during the World Cup.
“We need to see all the options that we can have because the circumstances can happen,” he said.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, The Musical
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
“Side-splittingly funny and brilliantly chaotic” Read moreThe Play That Goes Wrong
Providing Feedback said:
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.