Chris Richards was healthy enough to be included in Crystal Palace’s match-day roster for the UEFA Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, but the USMNT star center back was left out of manager Oliver Glasner’s starting lineup and did not make an appearance in the title-deciding match.
Away from his fellow Americans, the other 25 of whom gathered together in New York City on Tuesday for the official unveiling of the 26-man U.S. World Cup roster, Richards took his spot on the bench in Leipzig, Germany instead, watching as the Eagles battled to victory against La Liga’s Rayo Vallecano for the third-tier European title. Palace walked away with a 1–0 win and some hard-earned silverware, the club’s first European trophy.
