Pochettino upset as Richards misses Germany friendly
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- Chris Richards suffered ankle ligament damage in Crystal Palace’s May 17 match against Brentford, causing him to miss the USMNT’s warm‑up win over Senegal and the upcoming friendly versus Germany.
- Mauricio Pochettino said he was “a little annoyed” and “not happy” about the later injury update from Crystal Palace, emphasizing Richards’ importance to the USMNT.
- USMNT will be without Richards for the Saturday friendly against Germany in Chicago, and his fitness for the World Cup opening match against Paraguay on June 12 remains uncertain.
- Crystal Palace had hoped Richards could play in the Conference League final on May 27, but after the injury he was an unused substitute.
- Crystal Palace’s points‑per‑game average this season was 1.46 when Richards played and 1.20 when he did not.
Why it matters: The USMNT loses a starting centre‑back for the Germany friendly and possibly the World Cup opener, forcing Pochettino to reshuffle the defense and weakening the squad’s depth ahead of the tournament.
