Chris Richards has endured a frustrating first half of the season with English Premier League side Crystal Palace and that theme continued Tuesday with the American defender announcing his absence from the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Richards announced on his Instagram that he will not be involved in the U.S. men’s national team squad due to injury. The 22-year-old has been sidelined majority of the league campaign due to a continued leg injury.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CktiUd3ryV8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Richards joined Crystal Palace this summer on a permanent transfer from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. The Alabama native made three Premier League appearances in Patrick Vieira’s squad while also totaling 90 minutes in an EFL Cup win over Oxford United in August.
Richards’ absence is a major blow to Gregg Berhalter’s defensive options with Miles Robinson already sidelined for the remainder of 2022. Walker Zimmerman is the expected No. 1 centerback candidate heading into Qatar while Aaron Long, Tim Ream, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie and Erik Palmer-Brown will all fight to join the Nashville SC defender in the starting lineup.
Richards is also the second defensive player ruled out of the World Cup with Royal Antwerp fullback Sam Vines also set to miss through injury.
Berhalter will announce his full 26-player roster on Wednesday in New York.
Not having Miles Robinson is a big blow. Our centerbacks have not looked good since he went down
For people who actually care about seeing the 4-3-3 work. There needs to be 3 left foot dominant players on the pitch/field at all times. LB, RW, LCB, preferably. Basic Principle of the 4-3-3 -has to have multiples of 3. 30,60, 90 degree pass angles are important. Triangles are made by 3 points or players. With 2 players on either side of the triangle. The 4-3-3 is the premiere formation of now. (3-5-2 is the future.) We talk Top 5 leagues all the time. We talk Champions League all the time and never noticed this? What formation are the teams that are winning these leagues using? The 4-3–3 is also the formation that single handily increased the value of left footed players. There’s no bigger jump in value, that I’ve found until the 4-3-3’s creation. Appearing mid 90s. The Spaniards created this to thwart the German 4-2-3-1, which was designed for pressing, which most of the world at the time were in a 4-4-2. If you lay the formations on top of the other, you’ll notice that the 9 & 6 in the 4-3-3 are North & South of the 10 in the 4-2-3-1. The LM & the RM are east & west of the 10. 4 players to cut off the distribution of the attacking mid, 360 degrees, while the wings get prepared to make an offensive triangle, after the defensive triangle. Even though, I said the 4-3-3 is based on multiples of 3, you need a 4th person, because the 4 is a backup plan because you have no idea who you will need on your team to make either triangle. Every player has a zone they must occupy. Thus making it a ZONE formation. Not a press. The 4-4-2 is counter-offensive, or as I like to call it a TRAP formation. You allow the other team to have the ball, and strategically WAIT to get it, or double team the fullbacks like Japan did. Japan trapped, they didn’t press. Why was everyone do wrong on this?! If you watched the Saudi match & Japan match 3x, GB has his system flipping. You will see that our defense shape is a 4-4-2, and offensive shape is a 4-3-3. If you go back, and rewatch qualifying, (like I suggested), you’ll notice GB has been doing this for a year and half. You cannot have 10 right footed players, who never attempt to make a left footed pass in a 4-3-3. Not only that but then tell them to press in a zone? The 4-3-3 was designed to be a compact formation like a phalanx.
Hoover, Alabama I feel for u. LSU?! now, this. Jokes aside -Chris Richards started WCQ Jamaica away 1-1, w/ Zimmerman. It was a 93’ minute match. I watched Chris Richards pass the ball w/ his left foot 3 times. Let’s do simple match 93/3= 31. So every 31’ minutes he uses his left. To give more context – Steffen passed the ball with his left foot twice. GB started Richards & Zimmerman again in WCQ v ES home 1-0 win, the very next match. Hoover, Alabama had left foot clearance at 91:57. Jedi is on the left. Jedi is the key to US offense. Not Musah, CP, or Reyna. I’ve been telling you this since 2018. Coach Q (quozzel), Stu Holden, and my boi Herc G all have said that Chris Richards uses his left foot, I watched both these games live and rewatched 2 more times since. No evidence to be true. I’ve been telling you this for years. Long has made a living being right footed CB playing on the left. Marsch put him with Parker. Which brings us to the people who want Marsch to take over, not knowing Aaron Long would be starting for Marsch. I guess that just went over peoples heads also.
CCV uses his left less than Richards.?!! So he can only backup Zimmerman. Started CCV along side Zimm is a terrible idea. McKenzie started next to Zimm WCQ Panama away. (Google is wrong. Don’t know why they haven’t change it.) That’s like starting Musah & McKennie, when both are right sided midfielders. I’ve been saying this for years, also. Trusty needed call ups when he was with the Rapids. Most people would’ve said he was trash because he plays in the MLS. No different than when Ream got beat by Lanez. ‘He’s trash, & washed up.’ Cannon is not a CB. He’s an outstanding RB who’s been playing out of position in Portugal. Have we forgotten ‘19 GC, or his time at FCD already?
“Jillionth reason that we need to develop about 30 players we trust and like, as opposed to act like fanboys and obsessively limit use to a narrow list of coach favorites and stars, some of whom like the 9s none of whom really won the job but the favorites are clear.”
You’re talking to the wrong people.
The only person who has and will “obsessively limit use to a narrow list of coach favorites and stars ” is Gregg Berhalter.
Why don’t you write him?
Disappointing that Pefok is NOT in the twister according to some reports … 🙁 sad times
I agree.
The glass is half full.
Years ago the loss of two quality CBswould sink our WC chances. Count ourselves fortunate that players like Long, Ream & a rejuvenated CCV can step in and fill the void left behind by Richards and Robinson. I view Robinson as the bigger loss due to his exceptional athleticism, but it’s still a quality group of CBs.
We learned Vines is also out, but there is enough talent at his position to avoid a major downfall.
We thought Reyna would be a 50-50 shot, and is now back to full fitness.
Now if Adams goes down, now that void is too big to fill. Just one more injury-free week.
Kinda saw that coming – especially when I heard Ream got called in – but it’s still a big blow. So go ahead and pencil Zimmerman and Long in as starters, CCV as #3, probably Ream as #4 though I’d guess Ream starts against England because we definitely won’t be playing a high line that game unless Berhalter is genuinely insane; it’ll either be a 5-3-2 or more likely a 4-2-3-1 sitting WAY DEEP for that one since Berhalter has not had great results with a 3-man backline. If there’s a fifth CB it’s probably Reggie Cannon as a CB/RB tweener though I hope he never sees the field.
I personally would start Zimmerman and CCV together against Iran and Wales and I hope Gregg does too, but he seems to look at CB partnerships as one guy big, one guy fast and both CCV and Zimmerman would seem to be “big guys” in his view.
I find the angst mildly amusing because I remember when I was the only one who thought he belonged with the team and now it’s a heartbreak moment apparently. To be real, it took the coach years to get him in as an adult player and not YNT (2020), he was on neither of the summer tournament teams (2021), and he was left off the initial WCQ teams (2021). For various reasons he was not in the team past January 2022. Personally I think he should have been the answer to a lot of the Long hand-wringing. Try him and Zimmermann. With Miles it should have been him and Miles. I see it as a shame because he should have been starter but GB also never bought fully in so who knows what happens healthy. On the team? Starting or bench?
Jillionth reason that we need to develop about 30 players we trust and like, as opposed to act like fanboys and obsessively limit use to a narrow list of coach favorites and stars, some of whom like the 9s none of whom really won the job but the favorites are clear.
Richards played well in the 2019 U20 WC. Prior to that tournament Richards had not played a competitive match above the U19 level at Bayern. By Fall of 2019 (Mexico and Uruguay friendlies, NL Group) Richards hadn’t played above U23 level for Bayern. Richards is called in for first two camps post-Covid break in 20/21. Richards was injured in May of 2021 and not available for NL final four or the Gold Cup. He did not return to full training until late July. Prior to WC qualifying he’d played 47 mins that season because the recovery from the injury had pushed into late summer and was left off the first qualifying roster. He missed the March and June windows with injury as well. It hasn’t been some Berhalter problem that Richards hasn’t been involved it’s been a series of injuries. When healthy Berhalter has chosen him.
“Jillionth reason that we need to develop about 30 players we trust and like, as opposed to act like fanboys and obsessively limit use to a narrow list of coach favorites and stars, some of whom like the 9s none of whom really won the job but the favorites are clear.”
You’re talking to the wrong people.
The only person who has and will “obsessively limit use to a narrow list of coach favorites and stars ” is Gregg Berhalter.
Why don’t you write him?
Well that is a blow but Berhalter had to see this scenario on the horizon with Richards struggling for minutes
It will be interesting who will make the roster tomorrow, especially the CB position. Sounds like Ream will make it but seriously does he fit with Berhalters gameplan? Not the best on the ball defender and even worse recovery speed with quick fast off the shoulder runs. His one positive is leadership and an accurate left foot. The left side has no cohesion with Robinson and Pulisic already not a good fit.
Not sure why Trusty is not in contention for a roster spot? He is playing well , has a left foot, and seems to not be afraid of responding to a challenge in competitiveness. Many of the other CB have been treading water at the same level of competition. Why not take a chance on a kid who could take the opportunity and run with it!
Nice comment, I agree 👍 with everything. Trusty has been a force to be reconned with, glad to see him doing well in EFL Championship and getting 90 every game.
tangential comment but along your lines i do kind of feel like pulisic/robinson and reyna/dest tend to complicate each other’s channel as opposed to amplify the wing power. i prefer just open the wing space up and have one player in that space. adding a bunch of others when it’s not an overlap and speed down the field just draws more defense to the same space. and i personally would rather see the attacking specialists given room to take on, as opposed to them being pinched for lesser effective wingbacks who draw men to their area.
trusty has no senior caps. and i think there is a bad problem in US soccer these days with equating subjective ideas of club form to NT effectiveness. brooks and ream on their resumes should be awesome. they aren’t. there is endless history of wondos and twellmans who didn’t translate club to country. the idea we needed NT proof of concept used to be taken for granted before everything bradley or before got tossed out with the bath water.
personally i would go with mckenzie. mckenzie gets crap for passing. mckenzie shouldn’t be pretending to be an AM. he can mark decent at the NT level which is the real job. that we have some proof of concept on. i anticipate something more like ream or brooks because the coach adores passing backs and had to be shoved off the idea by bad play. when people get hurt he tends to cycle back to past mistakes, eg steffen.