INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Top U.S. defender Chris Richards is officially healthy enough to play in the World Cup opener less than four weeks after a significant ankle injury.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that Richards “is available to be selected” when the Americans host Paraguay on Friday night.
“We will decide whether he'll start from the beginning of the game or (come off) the bench,” Pochettino added. “Our medical staff and performance worked really hard (on Richards') recovery. It's a really good feeling to have 26 players available to be selected.”
Richards is considered the team’s top central defender and a key component of the World Cup starting lineup, but he got injured May 17 while playing for English club Crystal Palace. Eagles manager Oliver Glasner said he believed Richards tore two ligaments in his ankle, but the exact nature of the injury hasn’t been disclosed.
Richards missed the Americans' two friendlies over the past two weeks, but he said Wednesday that his ankle was “feeling good. Maybe a little swollen, but nothing tape can’t help. If there’s any time to sacrifice yourself, it’s now.”
Richards' presence will be important to the Americans' hopes of slowing down the world's best teams, and Paraguay presents an immediate challenge.
Paraguay qualified for its first World Cup since 2010 with strong defensive organization, potent counterattacks and a promising new generation of players leading the way.
The U.S. defense got a break last week when gifted Strasbourg playmaker Julio Enciso was injured, likely sidelining him for at least this match.
Pochettino also said he has chosen a starting goalkeeper for the opener, but declined to reveal his identity.
Matt Freese, the Americans' starter for most of the past year, and Qatar World Cup starter Matt Turner are the two candidates.
“I don't know if they know,” Pochettino said with a laugh. “Because if I tell, if they know, you (the media) are going to start to call them.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.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
Join New York Times bestselling author Caroline Paul for a lively discussion of her book Tou… Read moreBook Club with Author Caroline Paul
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Providing Feedback 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.