IRVINE, Calif. — U.S. men’s national team defender Chris Richards says his recovery from a sprained ankle has progressed to the point where he’s “ready” to face Paraguay in the team’s World Cup opener on Friday.
The Crystal Palace defender has spent the past several weeks trying to get fit enough to play against La Albirroja and says he is well enough to take the field.
“I’m ready,” he told reporters Wednesday. “I mean, it’s the World Cup, so I’m going to make myself ready regardless. I’m feeling good. Maybe a little swollen, but nothing tape can’t help.”
Richards sat out both of the USMNT’s pre-World Cup friendlies, with U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino saying before last weekend’s defeat to Germany that the information the USMNT received from Palace made him a “little annoyed,” and that the rehab was longer than expected.
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But Richards felt that the recovery period was about right.
“Rehab is rehab. It’s never really fun,” Richards added. “It’s been long days of just trying to get my ankle right, swelling, whatever the case is, trying to get everything right. But it took about as long as I expected. I think the initial diagnosis was day-to-day, but I think for me I was maybe more at the two to three weeks.”
Richards acknowledged, however, that he feared he might miss out on his second consecutive World Cup due to injury.
“When I first came out with the injury, I was pretty devastated and I was honestly fearing the worst,” he said. “But I kind of forced myself back on the pitch to prove to myself that it was doable.
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“So for me, once I finally got the diagnosis, it was, ‘All right, how do I get ready for this game against Paraguay?’ And that’s what I’ve been doing in 24 hours, been doing recovery, been doing whatever it takes to be available for this first game.”
Richards added that he doesn’t feel limited in terms of movement.
“I wouldn’t put myself in a position if I didn’t think that I could do everything 100%,” he said. “I mean, I think part of playing this sport is you’re going to have some pain at some point, and I’m totally OK with that as long as functionally I’m good. That’s the No. 1 thing for me.”
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The only question now is whether Richards has healed sufficiently to start the match. The U.S. is widely believed to be much better defensively when the Palace defender is on the field. Richards said he has made enough progress to play.
“Every time they’ve asked me, I told them I’m good even when I first got to camp,” he said. “I’m good. I think they’ve seen the progression over the last few weeks.
“Me personally, I think I look good on the pitch now. I think hopefully it’s been a good time for them. And again, every time, I tell them I’m ready. So, whatever they decide on Friday, I’ll back them, but I want to be on the field.”
