The United States 2026 World Cup squad takes shape with a lesson from the underside of the crossbar. Chris Richards met Sebastian Berhalter’s free kick less than four minutes into last summer’s Gold Cup final. His header struck the bar and bounced over the line. Houston erupted.
Then Mexico pulled apart the defense Richards had just put ahead. Marcel Ruíz slipped a pass to Raúl Jiménez through a gap on the U.S. right. NBC Sports traced the opening to Alex Freeman and Richards stepping out of the line together. Tim Ream hurried across, but Jiménez got his left-footed shot away first. Fifty minutes later, Johan Vásquez flicked on a free kick and Edson Álvarez reached the second ball to head in the winner. Mexico won 2–1.
Now the World Cup opener against Paraguay is less than three weeks away. Mauricio Pochettino has named his squad, and a fit Richards should start. The harder call is who plays beside him. That choice will shape how high Antonee Robinson can get up the left flank, how much ground Tyler Adams must cover, and whether the U.S. can afford to send both fullbacks forward.
Richards sets the terms for the backline
At Wembley last May, Richards helped Crystal Palace protect a one-goal lead against Manchester City. Dean Henderson saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty, and Palace’s back three still had work to do after Marc Guéhi went off in the second half. Richards finished the match alongside Maxence Lacroix and substitute Jefferson Lerma. Palace held on for a 1–0 win and the club’s first major trophy.
Pochettino can give Richards a clear job on the right side of a back four. When he follows a striker who drops toward midfield, the left center back holds his depth. When the ball goes wide, Richards protects the channel outside him while his partner stays close enough to defend a cutback. Mexico’s equalizer showed how quickly a passing lane opens when the right back and right center back leave the line together.
Richards also has an ankle injury to get through. He hurt it against Brentford on May 17, and Palace manager Oliver Glasner said he tore two ligaments. Pochettino needs to give another pairing time together in case Richards’ recovery runs into June.
Ream gives the left side a head start
Richards and Ream get the first call if both are available. Ream has 80 caps and played every minute of the 2022 World Cup. He and Antonee Robinson started all four matches in Qatar and spent several seasons together at Fulham. That familiarity matters when Robinson goes early and Ream has to decide whether to pass into his run or bring the ball back through midfield.
The trade-off shows up when the Americans lose the ball high. If Robinson has already gone past the winger and Adams gets drawn to the ball, Ream has to turn and defend a long stretch of the left channel. Keeping the opposite fullback deeper lets Richards slide across and still leaves cover in the middle. Ream can then slow the attack while Robinson gets back.
If Richards needs more time, Mark McKenzie alongside Ream gives Pochettino an alternative. They started together against Belgium in March, when the U.S. conceded five. The Senegal friendly in Charlotte offers a chance to see how the same pair defends with better midfield protection and fewer players caught ahead of the ball.
Trusty can step out and McKenzie can cover
Auston Trusty showed what he could add in his first start alongside Richards, against Portugal in March. He stepped high to intercept a pass, and the ensuing attack gave Christian Pulisic a shot from close range. Later in the half, Vitinha sent Bruno Fernandes in behind. Richards tracked him toward goal. Sports Illustrated’s postgame analysis focused on Trusty’s next step toward Fernandes, which put both center backs on the same runner. Fernandes backheeled the ball into the space they had left, and Francisco Trincão had time to set it on his left foot and score.
Pochettino can ask Trusty to go after a receiver early, with Richards holding behind the challenge. The assignment changes once Richards already has the ball carrier. Trusty’s next look has to be over his shoulder, where Trincão was waiting.
McKenzie offers a different option alongside Richards. Against a team that keeps pushing the U.S. toward its own goal, Pochettino could ask McKenzie to hold the middle and let Richards deal with the runner out wide. Miles Robinson also belongs in the conversation against a team that bypasses midfield with direct balls. Either pairing needs Adams close enough to contest the ball when a clearance drops outside the box.
Freeman and Dest change the job on the right
Alex Freeman, Richards, Ream and Antonee Robinson would be my back four for Paraguay. Freeman can tuck in when Robinson overlaps, leaving three defenders behind the ball. Adams can then stay close to the opponent’s first outlet instead of dropping into the backline and opening space in midfield.
Sergiño Dest gives Pochettino more ways to play through the right side. He can move inside to receive or carry the ball beyond the first defender. If he starts at right back and goes forward, Robinson can delay his own run until the U.S. has secure possession. Pochettino can also start Dest higher and keep Freeman behind him, giving Dest room to attack while Richards still has help on the flank.
The back three gives Pochettino another way out
Pochettino started Trusty, McKenzie and Freeman across the back in November’s 5–1 win over Uruguay, with Dest at right wingback. McKenzie held the middle, freeing the outside center backs to move the ball forward. On the third goal, Trusty took a pass from Timmy Tillman and released Freeman first time. Later, Trusty chipped up the left to John Tolkin in the move that ended with Diego Luna scoring.
Uruguay found room in the middle just before halftime. Rodrigo Zalazar headed the ball back across the box, and Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored with an overhead kick. Mexico had won the Gold Cup final with a similar change of direction, that time from a free kick. Whether Pochettino uses four defenders or brings in a third center back, someone has to stay with the attacker waiting for the first header to come back across goal.
Charlotte and Chicago will test different seams
Senegal comes to Charlotte on May 31. If Ismaïla Sarr runs into the space behind Antonee Robinson, Richards will recognize the threat from training with him at Palace. The test for the U.S. is what happens inside that run. Ream needs support early enough to show Sarr toward the touchline while Adams stays in range of a pass back through the middle. Pochettino can use the match to test the same coverage with McKenzie if Richards needs more recovery time.
Germany brings a different problem to Soldier Field on June 6. Jamal Musiala can receive between midfield and defense, turn, and force a center back to make a choice. If Richards steps out, his partner needs to pick up the runner beyond him. Adams’ position matters a beat earlier. Get close enough to prevent the turn, and Richards can stay in the line.
Ream should get the first chance to play next to Richards. Trusty needs enough time with the starters to show how the same defense responds when he steps forward. In both cases, watch the pass after the first challenge. The backline will look settled when one center back moves toward the ball and the other already knows where the next run is coming from.
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FAQs
Q1. Who was the projected center-back partner for Chris Richards?
A. Tim Ream was the first choice if both players were fit. His experience alongside Antonee Robinson gave the left side a head start.
Q2. Who could start if Chris Richards wasn’t fit?
A. Mark McKenzie could start alongside Tim Ream. The two played together against Belgium in March.
Q3. What was the projected U.S. back four against Paraguay?
A. Alex Freeman at right back, Chris Richards and Tim Ream in the middle, and Antonee Robinson at left back.
Q4. What could Auston Trusty bring to the U.S. defense?
A. Trusty can step out early to challenge a player receiving the ball. Richards can stay behind him to cover the space he leaves.
Q5. Has Pochettino used a back three with the USMNT?
A. Yes. He started Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie and Alex Freeman across the back in the 5–1 win over Uruguay.
