The USMNT defensive cornerstone did not play in the UEFA Europa Conference League final for Crystal Palace.
Chris Richards was healthy enough to be included in Crystal Palace’s match-day roster for the UEFA Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, but the USMNT star center back was left out of manager Oliver Glasner’s starting lineup and did not make an appearance in the title-deciding match.
, Richards took his spot on the bench in Leipzig, Germany instead, watching as the Eagles battled to victory against La Liga’s Rayo Vallecano for the third-tier European title. Palace walked away with a 1–0 win and some hard-earned silverware, the club’s first European trophy.against Brentford, limiting his ability to contribute to the Conference League final and putting his availability in question ahead of the World Cup.ahead of the final.
“We decided after I talked to him this morning that it’s better to have him on the bench. ”this summer, offering an elite presence to the backline after establishing himself as a bona fide Premier League star defender over the past two seasons.
In 2025, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino also heavily relied on Richards, who played a key role as a set-piece target in the run to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final, the last competitive match before the Pochettino had no updates on Richards’s injury status on Tuesday and planned to wait until the Conference League final “to see if he plays and then decide . ” It is a positive sign, though, that Richards was at least rostered for Wednesday’s title bout.
He was also reportedly at Palace’s training this week. The USMNT will need Chris Richards to anchor the backline this summer. | John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images The USMNT began World Cup training camp on Wednesday at the new national training center in Atlanta, where they will lay the groundwork before playing their first pre-World Cup friendly against Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday.
Richards is expected to fly to the U.S. soon after the Conference League final and has not been ruled out of Sunday’s friendly nor the send-off match against Germany on June 6. Should he suffer a setback in his recovery and be unable to participate this summer, the USMNT has until 8:59 p.m. ET/5:59 p.m. PT on June 11 to make any final roster changes before the 26-player group is locked for the remainder of the tournament.
Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
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