'I'm ready' - Chris Richards pushes through ankle injury as USMNT's most important player eyes World Cup moment

The moment he went down, Richards admits, the thoughts did creep into his head. He'd missed the last World Cup due to a late injury, one that he was unable to recover from in time for Qatar. So, when his ankle tweaked just weeks before USMNT camp, the thought surely crossed Richards' mind: not again.

"When I first came out with the injury, I was pretty devastated," he said. "I was honestly fearing the worst, but I kind of forced myself back on the pitch to prove to myself that it was doable."

Ultimately, it wasn't totally doable. He was ruled out for Palace's final Premier League game of the season against Arsenal with what coach Oliver Glasner revealed was an ankle ligament tear. Then, against Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, he was an unused substitute. By that time, he'd built up enough confidence to know he'd be ready for the summer. The initial moments, though? Those were scary.

"When I did get the diagnosis after the game, my ankle was huge, and I came off in a boot with crutches," he recalled. "Once we had the diagnosis, I was like, 'All right, cool, whatever it takes, I have to make it for this first game.' I think the first time I really realized that I could be 100 percent for Friday was probably last week.

"It was, 'Alright, how do I get ready for this game against Paraguay?' and that's what I've been doing for 24 hours a day. I've been doing recovery and been doing whatever it takes to be available for this first game."

Rehab wasn't particularly fun, Richards said, but it was necessary. The initial diagnosis said he would be day to day, but he knew otherwise. From the start, he knew it would be "two or three weeks" of off-field work to get where he needed to go.

"I think with ankles, it can be predictable," he said. "Palace wanted me to potentially be available for the Conference League final, which I understand because it's a final. It took me two days to get [to the U.S.] as well, so maybe it blew up a little bit over the flight, but, for me, I expected it. I've had ankle injuries before, and there wasn't really any setback. It was just a case of slowing down, then seeing what it's like when you get on the pitch. It sometimes could take a little bit longer than expected."

That's how USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino saw it at least. Ahead of the the team's send-off game against Germany, the Argentine expressed his frustration with Richards' situation. He had received mixed signals about the defender's health, he said, and the longer those signals were mixed, the more worried he was about the World Cup.

Pochettino said the USMNT had been working off information that suggested Richards might return as early as Crystal Palace’s Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, where he was ultimately only available from the bench. From there, the hope shifted to Senegal, then Germany. Each time, though, the timeline moved back.

That, Pochettino admitted, has been frustrating, particularly given Richards’ importance to the team.

"What I was saying was based on the information that we were given, and sometimes there wasn’t clarity," Pochettino said. "In the end, we can hope that Chris can be there, but we’re going to find ourselves with a player who’s coming without competing [for a month]. After we have to make the decision if he’s in form to compete or not, and there’s not a lot of time in the World Cup."

Richards, meanwhile, has remained optimistic throughout the process. He says he's repeatedly told Pochettino that he wasn't concerned.

"Every time they've asked me, I told him I'm good," Richards said. "Even when I first got in the camp, I said I'm good. Now, I think they've seen the progression over the last few weeks, and they've definitely seen me personally. I think I look good on the pitch now. Every time, I tell them I'm ready, so whatever they decide on Friday, I'll back them, but I want to be in the field."

Richards’ potential presence Friday would be a massive boost for the USMNT, largely because of the leap he has made over the last year. Before last summer’s Gold Cup, he was already a valuable piece. By the end of it, he had become arguably the most important piece of the team.

That's largely due to his leadership. In addition to his talent, Richards has become one of the team's most reliable presences, on and off the field. He went into last summer determined to cement a leadership role and he did. It's why the USMNT was always expected to lean on him so heavily at this World Cup.

"He's a vocal leader, but also has traits in his game," fellow defender Mark McKenzie said. "He's somebody who puts in a tackle and gets stuck in. I think, as any defender, that's an extremely important value to have: somebody who commands, who has that presence on the field. He's just somebody who brings a lot of energy, whether it's understanding somebody needs to be told to step up or wake up, or somebody who just needs an arm over the shoulder.

"He's somebody who I've grown up with for a number of years now, and it's always special to be able to share opportunities like this. Naturally, he's competitive. I think that's the most important feature that he brings to this team."

Richards made it clear that there's no risk to playing. There is no concern about making his injury worse in a way that would impact him and his team. If he's deemed ready enough to play, then he's totally ready, both for the opener against Paraguay and the tests to come.

"We have enough time between the games where I can get some recovery in," he said. "For me, if I'm able to start on Friday, it's not going to put the rest of the tournament in jeopardy.

"If I'm making myself available, it's because they can trust me to play at 100 percent."

That will be music to the USMNT's ears. There are few, if any, players more important than Richards, few more integral to the USMNT's success. They'll be happy to see him back, if Friday's return does come to fruition. No one will be happier than Richards, though, as he looks to officially survive his pre-tournament scare to make his World Cup dream come true.

"It's a World Cup, so I'm gonna make myself ready regardless," he said. "I'm feeling good, maybe a little swollen, but I feel good. If there's any time to sacrifice yourself, it's now. I know I want to play when it comes to Friday."