LEIPZIG, Germany — United States defender Chris Richards will start on the bench in Crystal Palace‘s UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano after failing to come through a late fitness test.
Glasner said on Tuesday that he would “work hard” with the medical department before deciding Richards and midfielder Adam Wharton‘s involvement, adding that if either player wasn’t 100% fit or if concerns remained, then they wouldn’t play.
Wharton is in from the start, while center back Richards wasn’t deemed fit enough to play the 90.
Richards tore two ligaments in his ankle three weeks out from the World Cup but he was named in Mauricio Pochettino‘s 26-man roster for the tournament on Tuesday with ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle previously reporting that he would be fit enough to make it.
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He suffered the injury against Brentford 10 days ago and missed Palace’s final day defeat to Arsenal.
Pochettino said that he would wait until after Palace’s final to assess Richards’ fitness heading into the World Cup.
“We don’t know, we’ll see tomorrow if he plays and then we’ll decide,” Pochettino said after announcing the roster on Tuesday.
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“We want to see and then we’ll decide because we have time until one day before the World Cup to make changes.”
Richards missed the 2022 World Cup with a hamstring injury but heads into the USMNT’s home campaign this summer as a key member of the back line.
