Pochettino Faces Key Decision on Richards Ahead of World Cup

Mauricio Pochettino is preparing the United States for a home World Cup with a problem right at the heart of his team: his preferred center-back isn’t ready to play, and time is running out.

Chris Richards, the Crystal Palace defender with 36 US caps, remains sidelined by an ankle injury picked up last month. On paper, he should be starting alongside captain Tim Ream. In reality, he is still stuck in limbo.

“Today, he's training... but he's still not ready to compete and to play,” Pochettino said on Friday.

The US face Germany in Chicago on Saturday without him, a high-level tune-up missing a key piece. Richards has been named in the World Cup squad, but under FIFA rules he can still be replaced up to 24 hours before the co-hosts’ opening game. The clock is loud now.

Pochettino made it clear the coming days will be decisive. After Germany, the staff will reassess the ankle, weigh the risk, and then choose: wait for their first-choice defender, or move on.

The stakes are obvious. The US open their World Cup campaign in Los Angeles next Friday against Paraguay, with Australia and Turkey also lurking in the group. This is not the time to carry passengers.

The warning signs were already there. In a recent friendly win over Senegal, the US defense, anchored by 38-year-old Ream and Toulouse center-back Mark McKenzie, wobbled. Sadio Mané found gaps, and the back line conceded twice. The result went down as a win; the performance did not calm any nerves.

Richards has not played since Palace’s Premier League clash with Brentford on May 17. He watched from the bench in the Europa Conference League final on May 27, unused, his ankle still not right. For Pochettino, that detail matters, and not in a good way.

When the squad list was drawn up, the staff believed Richards would feature in that final. That assumption shaped the selection.

“When we decided on the squad list, we thought Chris might play in the Conference League final,” Pochettino said, speaking in Spanish. The information from the club suggested he was close, maybe even ready to help against Senegal.

Instead, the recovery dragged. The defender never got back on the pitch. The coach’s irritation slipped through.

“In the end, the timelines dragged on a bit. It makes me a bit angry — I'm not happy about it — because we know Richards is an important player. We all know that. But regarding the information we were working with — sometimes there's a lack of clarity.”

That lack of clarity now threatens to ripple into the World Cup. Carrying an injured cornerstone into a compressed tournament can poison a squad’s rhythm. Wait too long and you end up with a player who hasn’t competed in weeks, thrown straight into knockout-intensity football.

Pochettino knows it. He spelled it out: if they keep Richards and he’s not fully ready, “we'd end up with a player who hasn't been competing, and then we'd have to decide if he's fit enough to play. There isn't much time at the World Cup.”

So the equation is brutal and simple. Richards is vital. The defense looks shakier without him. But the World Cup will not pause for his ankle.

The decision is coming, and it will say a lot about how boldly Pochettino intends to manage this World Cup on home soil.