It may also be a case of the team trying to protect him if he cannot play. Some Palace fans will assume he is sitting b/c ofcthe WC when he could play. They couid be using the more severe terminology to try and insulate him from that if he cannot go.
I posted this in the Richards thread in YA: 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.
Richards needs to not play the Conference League Final. Yes that sucks. Yes CP fans would be upset.. But if he's not 95% then he needs to sit. Risk of aggravating it and missing the WC is too high.
bubble wrap and ice him until cup game 1 and hope for the best. Probably the guy we needed healthy the most due to position scarcity. Hes one of the "if hes even 30 minutes fit you take him" types, goes without saying.
I think if the ankle is stable, it takes Grade 3 off the table. Not sure on my definitions. But I'd take Richards if I think he can play by Game 3/Rd32. The format is forgiving and he is one of our top guys and best defender hands down.
CBS sports correspondent plays down the injury reports: 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
Good, best case scenario. Palace will win, fans wont be mad at him for not playing injured because coach's decision, and can recover for cup. I dont want that guy doing anything so much as a casual stroll until game one of the cup
Agreed. Grade 3 is a total rupture of the ligament, can sometimes require surgery, and can take months to come back from. If he's 50/50 for next week and the joint is stable, then it sounds like it's probably a Grade 1 sprain. Even if it's Grade 2, there's a chance he could be ready for the knockout rounds if we make it out of the group. What I worry about is Richards trying to force it and play in the Conference League final if he isn't fully fit, then reinjuring the ankle. We may view the Conference League as a third-rate cup, but it's a massive deal for Palace, who have never won an international trophy or even played in an international tournament before this season. If they win, then they qualify for Europa League next year. If they lose, then they're out of European competition. Palace doesn't have a ton of CB depth. I could imagine a player in his position putting pressure on himself to play.
its sounding like that Richards will be missing Europa Conference Final and will be coaches decision, seems like there is good understanding there.
As a guy who had too many bad ankle sprains to remember, when you rush back it’s just gets worse and worse until it’s chronic injury. I hope he doesn’t rush back. Even with all the best medical treatment in the world, the body needs time to heal.
I also hope he doesn't rush back. He's had a bad ankle before and I wonder if it is the same one. I saw him at a SMU - FCD pre-season scrimmage in a boot while he was with Bayern. Him being at that game clued me in he was a good guy that wasn't a big ego guy.
Richards has returned to training and Palace say he is 50/50 to play in the Conference final. I know we are all hoping he takes the day off.
That's a big game for them though. Chance to win a trophy, and it'd put them in the more remunerative UEL next season.
"IF" they can promise he won't re-injure himself I'm all for it. I get why they prefer that over our WC dreams but of course we are the opposite.
Palace won, Richard’s remained bubble wrapped. He gets trophy, palace off to Europa proper, everybody happy
I would have been happier if Richards had been less active in the post-match celebrations, but he earned the right to celebrate.
This is where the bubble wrap meets the road. We have to prepare, and the players cannot ‘play to not get hurt,’ but … We have so many players that are unique for us, Adams, Richards et al, for which we have no like-for-like replacement. Fingers (always) crossed.
Yes, but how does it look/feel today? I’m definitely holding Richards out of the first tune-up match (Senegal, on Sunday).
A reporter asked Pochettino if he was confident that Richards would be ready for the World Cup. Pochettino shrugged and let out an exasperated sigh. "I was asking from yesterday that he arrived to [assistant coach] Jesus [Perez], 100 times, 'What do you think? What do you think? What? Which information do we have?'....The answer was 'Wait.' 'Wait.' 'Wait.' 'Wait.' Yes, it's too early. We'll have to see. The next few days will be key to see the possibilities [for Richards] to be ready or not for the World Cup."