Richards Back in Full USMNT Training Days From Paraguay

Chris Richards trained fully with the U.S. men's national team on Monday at the Great Park base camp in Irvine, California, his first session with the group since the World Cup 2026 squad gathered, per CBS Sports. The Crystal Palace defender had been managing an ankle injury sustained on May 17 that kept him out of his club's final games and both of the team's pre-tournament friendlies. Monday's workout came twelve days after camp opened on May 27 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia. With the opener against Paraguay set for Friday at SoFi Stadium roughly fifty miles (80 km) north, the timing matters.

Pochettino's verdict on Richards

"We will see," head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters in Irvine, per CBS Sports. "Today, first time with the team. I think it's good to have nearly everyone who's able to be selected." Pochettino had been candid about his frustration through the lead-in. "We thought he might be available against Senegal but the timelines kept dragging it out," he said. "It's frustrating, I'm not happy about it because we know Chris is a key player." The coach now has four days to decide whether Richards can start the Group D opener at center back or come off the bench.

For the road to 2026, this matters because depth at center back is the story beneath the headline, and the tournament window is long. A 26-player squad still forces choices that decide tournaments, and the coach's margin for error in the group stage is thinner under the new 48-team format. A single off result reshapes the cost of finishing second in the group, which under the expanded bracket determines round of 32 geography. Richards back in full training keeps the first-choice option live, but it does not yet confirm it.

Adams sits, the rest of the workload

Tyler Adams did not participate in Monday's session, with the staff citing load management after the captain of the midfield played 72 minutes against Germany on Saturday, per CBS Sports. Adams missed training on a similar plan after the Senegal friendly in Charlotte and carries a history of hamstring issues from his club years. The starters from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Soldier Field worked in a separate group from the rest of the squad, a routine recovery split this far from the opener.

The session also doubled as a public moment. About 5,500 supporters watched from the sidelines, selected from a lottery that drew 33,000 entries through a FIFA community initiative tied to host-city base camps, per CBS Sports. "We have 5,500 fans lighting this place up, so I'm pumped for training," starting goalkeeper Matt Freese said. Captain Tim Ream framed the week in his own terms. "You say it's not our first rodeo, but it's our first one on home soil so it kind of is our first rodeo," he said.

What Friday at SoFi looks like

Kickoff against Paraguay is set for 6 p.m. Pacific on Friday at SoFi Stadium, 1001 S. Stadium Drive in Inglewood, per SoFi Stadium's event listing. Group D continues with Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Türkiye back at SoFi on June 25, the dates U.S. Soccer confirmed when Pochettino named his 26 on May 26. "We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup," he said in that announcement. "This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud."

The week ahead now turns on small choices. Whether Richards builds to ninety minutes in closed sessions or holds at sixty, whether Adams returns Tuesday or Wednesday, whether the back line that conceded twice to Germany finds a different shape against a Paraguay side that pressures the wide channels. Fans organizing travel to Inglewood can check the full World Cup 2026 schedule and the slate of host venues before the gates open Friday afternoon, while broadcast coverage planning has become its own pre-tournament ritual.

Sources

• CBS Sports: USMNT's Chris Richards returns to full training days before World Cup opener
• U.S. Soccer: Pochettino Names 26-Player Roster for FIFA World Cup 2026
• SoFi Stadium: FIFA World Cup USA vs Paraguay