USMNT's Chris Richards has 'two torn ankle ligaments', three weeks out from World Cup

Richards captained the USMNT in its last game. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images Share article14United States defender Chris Richards has sustained two torn ligaments in his left ankle only three weeks before the start of the World Cup, according to his Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner. Richards, 26, appeared to twist his ankle in a substitute appearance for Palace against Brentford on Sunday. He received medical treatment on the pitch but finished the game, having come on after an hour. Glasner has ruled Richards out of their final Premier League fixture against champions Arsenal and said it is “50-50″ whether he will be able to return for Wednesday’s Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano. “He tore two ligaments in his ankle,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday. “I think it’s stable, but quite swollen, and we have to deal with the swelling. He has to get back on the pitch to be available, and it takes time. “He is in from sunrise until sunset having treatments and everything we can do that reduces the swelling, and of course we have a great medical department, so we will give our best and he will give his best — and then let’s see if we can get it done.” Richards has been a central figure in Glasner’s side this season, making 50 appearances in total, including in their Community Shield triumph, and only missing four league games. The former Bayern Munich player captained the United States in their most recent friendly, a loss to Portugal on April 1. He has made 36 senior appearances since his debut six years ago and started four matches for the USMNT this season in total. Mauricio Pochettino’s side kick off their World Cup campaign on June 13 against Uruguay. The USMNT’s roster will be revealed on May 25. Analysis by senior soccer writer Greg O’Keefe The full extent of Richards ankle injury is likely to be concerning for Pochettino, given its timing just under four weeks before the USMNT’s first World Cup game. Richards has been a key central defensive option on the national team roster, and would, if selected, likely have stood a strong chance of featuring in his country’s opening fixture against Paraguay. He has appeared in 13 of Pochettino’s 24 games in charge of the U.S. so far, and was picked in all of last summer’s Gold Cup games. Pochettino knows Richards is comfortable playing in a back three, as he does for Palace, and will value his experience at a successful club side coming up against some of the world’s best attackers in the Premier League. Even with the very best recovery and medical support, it would be on the optimistic side to predict confidently that Richards will have fully recovered from two torn ligaments to be 100 per cent fit by June 13. It leaves Pochettino having to consider calling up a player who, while important to his plans, may not be fully fit until later in the group stages. However, Glasner does not seem to have completely given up on having Richards available for next week’s Conference League final, so there is a chance his ligament tears are of the least severe type and can be managed. Pochettino will hope that any rush to get the defender available for the Rayo Vallecano game does not come with a consequence for the rest of the summer. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms