US manager Pochettino frustrated by Chris Richards injury setback

United States manager Mauricio Pochettino has expressed his frustration after key defender Chris Richards was ruled out of Saturday’s final World Cup warm-up against Germany in Chicago with an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old sustained ligament damage playing for Crystal Palace in May and is now a major doubt for the opening tournament fixture against Paraguay.

The Argentine tactician revealed he feels misled by the medical updates provided by the Premier League club.

Conflicting recovery timelines

The towering centre-back was initially expected to be available for the recent Conference League final, but remained an unused substitute.

The American medical staff then anticipated his return for Sunday’s victory over Senegal, which he subsequently missed.

“When we decided on our final list, we thought that Chris would be able to play in the final of Conference League because we had done the list before that and we had some information that we thought he would be able to play.”

Mauricio Pochettino

“Today, the information we got was that his injury would take even more time. And I got a little annoyed and I am not happy because Chris Richards is an important player, and we all know that.”

Defensive headache for opening clash

The national team begin their home World Cup campaign against the South Americans at SoFi Stadium in California on June 12.

Finding a reliable replacement in central defence remains an issue in one of the thinnest areas of the talent pool for the tournament hosts.

The Eagles averaged significantly more points across all competitions this season when their American star was in the starting lineup.

His absence against the four-time world champions means the hosts’ core group of stars will have started together just once in the entire cycle leading up to the tournament.