USA’s Last Pre-World Cup Test Comes Amid Injury Uncertainty For A Key Defender

CHICAGO — The vibes around the United States’ World Cup team are viscerally on the rise following Sunday’s 3-2 exhibition win over Senegal, though concern remains about center back Chris Richards. On Friday, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said that Richards, the Americans’ most important defender who damaged ligaments in his left ankle last month, will miss Saturday’s final pre-World Cup tune-up against four-time champions Germany at Soldier Field. “Today he’s training,” Pochettino told me during his pre-match press conference and shortly before putting all 26 players on the World Cup roster, including Richards, through their paces at the training facility of MLS club Chicago Fire. “But still he’s not ready to compete, to play.” That’s certainly not ideal for the tournament co-hosts, who kick off their World Cup campaign on June 12 in Los Angeles against Paraguay. It’s even more concerning given that both goals the USA conceded against Senegal were preventable. The home side allowed 10 shots in total, four of them on target. Cleaning up those mistakes will be imperative at the main event, where errors are typically punished ruthlessly. Which makes the Germans an ideal opponent to face in the last match before the results actually begin to matter. At the World Cup, points — not vibes — are the only thing that counts. That’s not to say Saturday’s contest is meaningless. Far from it. The U.S. was badly outclassed the last time they met Die Mannschaft, a 3-1 friendly loss in Connecticut in October 2023. The Stars and Stripes have struggled against European opponents dating back to their round of 16 loss to the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They were outscored 7-2 in March defeats to Belgium and Portugal, two other stout European foes. Yet while upsetting Germany without Richards would provide a huge boost of confidence ahead of the World Cup opener, a good performance from which everyone exits healthy is the desired outcome. A victory would be gravy. Midfielder Weston McKennie started that last U.S.-Germany meeting in 2023, logging 75 of the 90 minutes. “I think that game showed, obviously, the quality that they have,” McKennie said following Friday’s training session. “But also the quality that we have as well. We had the potential to win that game as well.” It’s true. Christian Pulisic scored a screamer to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead before Germany roared back with goals by İlkay Gündoğan, Niclas Füllkrug and Jamal Musiala. Only Musiala remains on German manager Julian Nagelsmann’s roster for Saturday’s contest and the World Cup. The USA’s squad has had even more turnover. Several U.S. players projected to start when the games get real — goalkeeper Matt Freese, defender Alex Freeman — hadn’t played an international match then. Freeman, now on Spanish club Villarreal, had just one minute of MLS play under his belt with former club Orlando City. “We go into this game with a lot of players that haven’t played against them yet,” McKennie said.  “So I think the new energy, the new style, just the new circumstances in general leading into a World Cup, I think it’s going to be a great test for us. “We’re going there with the same mentality that we always go out with,” he added. “To win the game.” For Pochettino, it’s the final dress rehearsal, he and his staff’s final chance to tinker and coax and collect a few more potentially crucial data points ahead of the World Cup itself. “It’s a great opportunity after Senegal,” he said of taking on an adversary as dangerous and experienced as the mighty Germans. “It’s going to be a really different team that we are going to face.” If missing helps Richards be ready six days later, it’s a price Pochettino and his players are happy to pay. “Chris Richards is on the right path to coming back — I think everyone trusts his body and what he feels and the coaching staff as well,” McKennie said. “He’s an important piece of the group: his energy, his leadership on and off the field, and so obviously we’re just all behind him and can’t wait to have him back. “The energy is great,” he continued. “We’re all just excited for the game against Germany, and also for the tournament to start.”