Will Chris Richards miss the World Cup? Injury news, update as ankle issue USMNT scare ahead of 2026 tournament

Will Chris Richards miss the World Cup? Injury news, update as ankle issue USMNT scare ahead of 2026 tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The United States men's national team is gearing up for one of the most important summers in program history, set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in just a few weeks' time. Mauricio Pochettino has managed to put together a strong squad pushing to compete for a deep run at the tournament, hoping to shatter the glass ceiling that has held the national team back seemingly every four years. The USMNT has only reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup once in modern history, coming back in 2002 when they beat CONCACAF rivals Mexico in the Round of 16.

This year, with the expanded FIFA tournament on home soil, they are pushing for a return to that vaunted stage and potentially beyond, but questions remain over whether the team's talent level at full strength is capable of such a run. Thus, a potentially devastating injury to one of the most important USMNT players could significantly dampen those dreams and leave Pochettino scrambling to find solutions to this sudden problem thrust onto his doorstep just weeks before the start of the tournament. MORE: Predicting the USMNT roster and starting lineup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Chris Richards injury news, update after ankle sprain American defender Chris Richards has suffered an ankle injury down the final stretch of the Premier League season that could put his immediate availability in serious jeopardy.

The 26-year-old was brought in off the bench in the 61st minute of Crystal Palace 's league match against Brentford on May 17, but twisted his ankle in the 79th minute. He remained on the pitch and completed the match, but after the game, manager Oliver Glasner noted that his ankle was significantly swollen. On May 21, Glasner said that Richards would miss the team's final Premier League match against Arsenal , which is a competitively meaningless, dead-rubber game for both teams, and then would be "50/50" for the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.