USMNT vs. Paraguay injury news: Richards, Robinson in full training in World Cup boost to U.S.

IRVINE, Calif. — The U.S. men’s national team received a boost on Monday as key center back Chris Richards trained in full with no restrictions for the first time since the team started its pre-World Cup training camp two weeks ago.

Richards has been recovering from an ankle injury suffered on May 17. He did not appear in another match for Crystal Palace and was not in the matchday squad for either USMNT pre-World Cup friendly.

In an additional dose of positive news, left back Antonee Robinson was also in full training after being substituted in Saturday’s loss to Germany with what was deemed as cramps. Robinson scored a spectacular goal against the Germans but then had to be taken off.

Midfielder Tyler Adams, for at least the second time during this pre-World Cup camp, did not train due to what a team spokesman described as “load management.” He played in both of the USMNT’s pre-tournament friendlies, and neither he nor U.S. staff has mentioned any specific fitness concern.

But when U.S. players took the field at Great Park’s Championship Soccer Stadium, Adams was in sneakers and stayed back in a treatment area set up on the stadium’s second-level concourse.

When the team huddled at midfield to open training, Adams jogged down to be with them, and briefly passed a ball back and forth with a member of head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s staff. But then he walked back up to the treatment area, where he watched part of training from a treatment table and worked with a member of the team’s performance staff for around 30 minutes.

Adams, the 2022 World Cup captain, has always been a vital member of the U.S. team, but even more so now considering Pochettino’s roster construction, which is light on true defensive midfielders.

Another player who caught the eye toward the end of training was Malik Tillman. He sat on the field talking with a member of the performance staff with a slight wrap under his right knee, but he was moving fine and all smiles as his teammates went through a crossbar challenge from about 45 yards out (Only Robinson hit the crossbar). Tillman later got up and played some passes with teammates for the fans who stuck around for the latter stages of the one public training session the team will be holding.

The USMNT opens its World Cup journey on Friday against Paraguay, which is dealing with its own potential injury situation. Attacking star Julio Enciso was stretchered off in a send-off victory over Nicaragua on Friday, but his status for the Group D curtain-raiser at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles has yet to be determined.