CHICAGO – At every U.S. men’s soccer team practice, a familiar ritual unfolds. Find the pack of journalists on the sideline, and spot them counting who’s on the field and who isn’t.
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In the eight sessions of the pre-World Cup camp so far, the total has almost always been the same: 25 of 26 on the field, with injured centerback Chris Richards absent.
U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino declared Richards won’t play in Saturday’s final World Cup tuneup game, against Germany at Soldier Field (2:30 p.m., TBS, Telemundo 62). But Friday’s practice was the first where Richards was on the field with the whole group.
Before then, the only time he was seen on the field in an open portion was on Wednesday, when he worked off to the side with a trainer.
Richards is still looking to return to game form since suffering torn ankle ligaments in a game with his club, England’s Crystal Palace, on May 17. The word went around soon afterward that he was expected to recover in time for the World Cup, but he isn’t all the way there yet.
Make a list of the most important players on the World Cup squad, and Richards is very high up it.
So it was perfectly sensible for Richards to not play in the first World Cup tune-up game, last Sunday against Senegal; and it is sensible again that he won’t play on Saturday. But it is worrying for U.S. fans, with a week to go until the tournament opener.
“He still is not ready to compete, to play,” Pochettino said, not backing away at all from the magnitude of the situation. “I think we are going to have, after the game, the possibility in the next few days to assess him and see the evolution of his ankle, then make a decision. At the moment, he’s still doing his recovery [and is] not available.”
Pochettino seems to be worried too. He wasn’t going to say it outright, but he dropped some hints, including annoyance with a perceived lack of clarity from Crystal Palace about Richards’ status.
“I’m not happy about it, because we know Chris Richards is an important player — of course, we all know that,” he said, turning to his native Spanish for a moment. “But regarding the information we were working with, sometimes it didn’t match reality.”
He said it “bothers me” that “the timelines kept dragging on,” and now the clock is running out.
“Sure, we can wait for Chris to be ready, but we end up with a player arriving without having played competitively,” Pochettino said. “Then we have to decide if he’s fit enough to compete, and there isn’t much time at the World Cup.”
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He also said at one point: “Maybe if it’s the final of the World Cup he can play, but the advice of the medical area is to not play.”
Veteran midfielder Weston McKennie sounded more optimistic, even if he doesn’t have a vote.
“Chris Richards is on the right path to coming back and being completely with the squad,” he said. “I think everyone trusts his body and what he feels, and the coaching staff as well. … Obviously we’re just all behind him, and can’t wait to have him back in with the group.”
If Richards does have to be replaced, the U.S. program has until 24 hours before its first group game – June 12 vs. Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif. (9 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62) – to file for a replacement with FIFA.
As for the big picture of Saturday’s game, Pochettino made it clear that his first priority Saturday is to avoid injuries – and that ranks above setting out as close to his first-choice lineup for the World Cup as he can get.
“If you play with the players you think need to play the first game in the World Cup, and nothing happens, no one is going to say nothing. They say ‘Good decision,’” Pochettino said. “But if something wrong happens, they say ‘[You] have no clue about what [you] are doing.’”
He also drew some laughs when he said: “Always, the haters today in social media, they would never agree.”
Later, Pochettino said some players are tending to minor matters, and “a few players are not going to be involved” – though that’s in part because a maximum of 22 players can take part anyway, with 11 starters and 11 substitutions.
Asked which players might not play, he answered “they are all fit,” sounding a little bit like a hockey coach as much as a soccer manager. But it’s that time of year.
“Nice try,” the PR staffer sitting next to him said. Everyone laughed, and the point was made.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.