Damn. Glasner says he has two torn ligaments but has a 50/50 chance to play in the Conference League final on 5/27. Not sure how to sync those two bits of info.
I am not a doctor, just a guy with a history of ankle injuries of various severities. I think (and hope) Glasner, with English being his second language, is using different terminology for what we would commonly call an ankle sprain. A sprain is a stretching or partial-to-complete tearing of a ligament. The key bit of good news to me is that Glasner said the ankle is stable but swollen. Stable suggests less severe. Given all the context, it sounds to me like Richards might have a Grade 1 ankle sprain, which can take up to 3 weeks to heal. If that is the case, I think he will be good to go for the World Cup, barring setbacks or reinjury. A Grade 2 or 3 sprain would put his World Cup in jeopardy. But if he's 50/50 to play next week, my gut is telling me he'll be okay for the World Cup.
We don't know how severe but you are willing to throw percentages?. Rupture means is it is severed. Tear can be another way of saying sprain. Lets wait for more information
I think he'll be on the WC roster BUT bringing an injured player who is questionable to a tournament with limited roster space can affect up to 3 roster spots 1) the injured player (Richards) 2) The possible need to bring in another player in that position (in this case another central defender) in the event Richards has to miss a game or is too far below 100% and you don't exactly know when he'll be healthy enough 3) The extra central defender you need to bring must see another player in a different position removed. Cutting an injured player is easy. Cardoso can't go, Poch brings another central midfielder - say Aidan Morris. It's not optimal and the second player is typically not as good as originally planned player, but the solution is easy. Bringing injured players is always a nightmare for a coach. It really complicates the dynamics.
Great points. Even if he ends up fine to play, the injury introduces variables that Poch will need to account for in his roster construction. The timing is certainly awful. I wasn't thinking about the trickle down effect on the roster.
There isn't a chance he's healthy in 4 weeks, let alone fit to play a WC match. I hate being a USMNT fan man. It's just a never ending torture.
CBS sports correspondent plays down the severity of the injury: As I understand it, Chris Richards is confident that, barring a setback, the injury he suffered last week won't hinder his involvement at the World Cup. Glasner has ruled the USMNT CB out of Palace's final league game but I'm told the ligament damage is not too serious for USMNT.— James Benge (@jamesbenge) May 21, 2026
I really hope it's just a mild sprain (so no full tears) and he can return to training like two weeks. Euros do have a strange way of describing non surgical requiring ligamanent issues. We usually use the term "sprain" to imply a mild tear not requiring surgery, whereas they do not differentiate.
Many people think that if there are two choices, then the odds must be 50-50. I predict that Richards does not play another club match this season, makes the final USMNT roster and plays 20-30 against Germany.
Binary event probabilities are always 50-50 - either something happens or it doesn’t. Think heads or tails, win, lose or draw, etc.
Either the Sun turns into a turnip tomorrow or it doesn’t. 50-50 that tomorrow the 2026 World Cup becomes irrelevant, and that the corpses of every human being who ever lived will spend the remaining life of the universe orbiting an unusually large root vegetable. Fingers crossed! Also, I’m not going to worry about the 26 until I know how this turns out.
Good news for Palace fans. Not good news for us USMNT fans, imo. Only because I’d rather he recover a little more and not risk further injury.
20' remaining and it's so-far so-good both in terms of Palace winning AND Richards not being subbed on. 1-0 in the 70'
Mission accomplished! Silverware for Richards without risking re-injury! Bravo Palace! edit: Chris is sprinting in a subs penny and jumping on his teammates in celebration. Doesn't look like he's struggling to move. A joy to see, but at the same time, chill out and get home safely lol
You're ignoring the quantum possibilities in which the ligaments are both torn and not torn until observed. I adopted a alive/dead cat like that once. Many congratulations to Palace and Chris! Only one more minor trophy to play for this summer for Richards!