{"id":14825,"date":"2026-06-13T09:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14825"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:31:31","slug":"im-ready-usmnt-star-centerback-chris-richards-says-as-he-finishes-his-comeback-from-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14825","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m ready,\u2019 USMNT star centerback Chris Richards says as he finishes his comeback from injury"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By Jonathan Tannenwald, The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/strong><\/p>\n

IRVINE, Calif. \u2014 It only took two words for one of the U.S. men\u2019s soccer team\u2019s most important players to get everyone talking.<\/p>\n

Read more Knicks fever is colliding with World Cup buzz, and New York soccer bars are trying to juggle both<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready,\u201d star centerback Chris Richards said before Wednesday\u2019s practice, and after a few days on the field, where he looked good in his recovery from torn ankle ligaments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a World Cup, so I\u2019ll make myself ready regardless,\u201d he continued as he stood in front of a big pack of media, a sign of the World Cup\u2019s arrival and his importance. \u201cI\u2019m feeling good. Maybe a little swollen, but nothing tape can\u2019t help. \u2026 If there\u2019s any time to sacrifice yourself, it\u2019s now. I want to play Friday, but I\u2019m not the one making the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richards suffered the injury on May 17, playing for his club team, England\u2019s Crystal Palace. He hasn\u2019t featured in a game for club or country since then, which is four total: the May 24 Premier League finale, the May 27 UEFA Europa Conference League final, and the U.S.\u2019s two World Cup warmup games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first came out of the injury, I was pretty devastated, and I was honestly fearing the worst,\u201d he said, later adding: \u201cThe first time I could probably relax was when I did get the diagnosis. After the game, my ankle was huge, and I came off in a boot and crutches. When I saw the diagnosis I was like, \u2018All right, cool \u2014 whatever it takes, I have to make it for this first game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He made the bench for the Conference League final, and the TV cameras caught him running onto the field at the final whistle to celebrate with teammates. That was a good sign. But it\u2019s still nothing like a live game, and that\u2019s now the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the first time I really realized that I would be 100 percent for Friday was probably last week,\u201d Richards said. \u201cIt was a lot of massages, a lot of ice, a lot of compression, things like that. But once I was finally on the pitch, it felt good. And I think that was the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

It also helps that the U.S. will have seven days between its first and second group games, with the latter June 19 against Australia in Seattle. The Americans\u2019 World Cup opener is Friday vs. Paraguay (9 p.m. ET, Fox) in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have enough time between the games where I can get some recovery in,\u201d Richards said. \u201cSo for me, if I can start on Friday, it\u2019s not going to put the rest of the tournament in jeopardy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granted, that was his opinion, and he has given it to U.S. coaches when asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time they\u2019ve asked me, I\u2019ve told them I\u2019m good \u2014 even when I first got into camp, I told them I\u2019m good,\u201d Richards said. \u201cI think they\u2019ve seen the progression over the last few weeks, and they\u2019ve definitely seen me personally. I think I look good on the pitch now. Hopefully it\u2019s been a good sign for them \u2026 Whatever they decide on Friday, I\u2019ll back them, but I want to be on that field on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

He added that he has not been told if he\u2019ll be subject to a minutes limit in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done full practices the last few days, and I think y\u2019all have seen the intensity of our practices \u2014 they\u2019re not light,\u201d the Alabama native said. \u201cSo I feel good, no reaction to it, and I\u2019m confident for what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Meet Flo Supreme: USMNT\u2019s next, and first, world-class striker<\/a><\/p>\n

Richards noted the minor controversy that arose when U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino accused Crystal Palace of not being fully transparent about his status. He tried to be sympathetic to both sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cPalace wanted me to potentially be available for the Conference League final \u2014 which I understand, it\u2019s a final \u2014 and it took me two days to get here [to U.S. camp] as well,\u201d he said. \u201cI expected it. I\u2019ve had ankle injuries before, and there wasn\u2019t really any setback. It was just a case of getting swelling down, then seeing what it\u2019s like being on the pitch, and it just sometimes can take a little bit longer than expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cthe initial diagnosis was day to day, but I think for me I was a bit more two to three weeks. We were right on schedule, and I feel good right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richards\u2019 teammates know how much he means to the group. Fellow centerback and longtime friend Mark McKenzie spoke about that soon after Richards\u2019 turn at the mic.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see that live, to see the rehab work he\u2019s put in, whether it\u2019s on the field and working with a lot of the performance coaches, trying to get that ankle exposed to as many different actions as possible,\u201d the Union alumnus said, \u201cand then off the field, you talk about recovery, you talk about every modality you could possibly think of and modalities you probably don\u2019t even know about. Doing everything possible to get himself as fit as he could be for this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Richards spoke, former U.S. centerback Marcelo Balboa stood nearby. Now a media member, recalled his own race to make the 1994 World Cup after tearing his ACL in April 1993 \u2014 an era when recoveries could last over 12 months.<\/p>\n

But he made it just in time to play in the tournament, started all four U.S. games, and almost scored an all-time goal when a bicycle kick attempt against Colombia went just wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever trust a player,\u201d Balboa said with a laugh, but also some seriousness. \u201cA player will always tell you he feels great and he\u2019s ready to go. I think they have to evaluate how he is in training, if he\u2019s full contact, if he\u2019s ready to go 90 minutes, or is it better to make sure he\u2019s ready for the rest of the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also emphasized that for a player, \u201cmentally is the biggest part.\u201d Judging by Richards\u2019 remarks, he certainly seemed ready \u2014 even as Balboa\u2019s words are a good reminder of the big picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t put myself in the position if I didn\u2019t think I could do everything 100 percent,\u201d Richards said. \u201cPart of playing this sport is you\u2019re going to have some pain at some point, and I\u2019m totally OK with that as long as functionally I\u2019m good. That\u2019s the No. 1 thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Angels\u2019 Mitch Farris, Ryan Zeferjahn team up to close out Rays<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Richards tore ankle ligaments on May 17, playing for his club team, Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018I\u2019m ready,\u2019 USMNT star centerback Chris Richards says as he finishes his comeback from injury - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14825\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018I\u2019m ready,\u2019 USMNT star centerback Chris Richards says as he finishes his comeback from injury - 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