Just days before Mauricio Pochettino unveils his final USMNT 26-man roster in New York City, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed that Chris Richards has torn two ligaments in his left ankle.

The 26-year-old center-back—who was universally considered a locked-in, presumptive starter to anchor the U.S. defense this summer—is now in a frantic race against time to save his tournament dream.

The injury happened last weekend during Palace’s 2-2 draw with Brentford. In the 77th minute, Brentford striker Igor Thiago heavily collided with Richards, landing directly on his foot and forcing the ankle to twist aggressively under the weight.

Though Richards incredibly finished out the game on pure adrenaline, he couldn’t walk off the pitch unassisted and left the stadium without his left boot. On Thursday morning, Palace boss Glasner delivered the devastating diagnosis:

“Chris will miss the Arsenal game as well, and it’s now 50/50 for him and for us if he can play in the Final in Leipzig. He tore two ligaments in his ankle. I think it’s stable, but quite swollen, and we have to deal with the swelling. He is in from sunrise until sunset having treatments... then let’s see if we can get it done.”

The injury knock-on effect

The Alabama native is a 50-50 doubt for the UEFA Conference League Final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on May 27 and will miss the start of the U.S. training camp in Fayetteville, Georgia, as he stays in London for ongoing medical treatment.

The injury now provokes a dilemma for Pochettino. The official USMNT roster is scheduled to drop on Tuesday, May 26. Taking a starting center-back with two torn ligaments is an immense gamble under FIFA’s strict 26-man limits.

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