CHICAGO — U.S. men’s national team center back Chris Richards finds himself in a World Cup race against time, after head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted he will soon have to “make a decision” on the key defender’s tournament status.Pochettino confirmed on Friday that Richards (ankle) will sit out the team’s World Cup send-off friendly against Germany at Soldier Field on Saturday. He missed last Sunday’s 3-2 win over Senegal, having previously remained on the bench for Crystal Palace’s UEFA Conference League final victory over Rayo Vallecano on May 27.“He’s not ready to compete and to play,” Pochettino said. “In the next few days we have the possibility to assess him and his ankle, then to make a decision.”Though Richards was named in the 26-man squad at U.S. Soccer’s squad unveiling event in New York on May 26 and official World Cup rosters were submitted to FIFA on June 1, teams can still make changes due to injury up until 24 hours before their first game. The USMNT faces Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, which puts Pochettino’s deadline on Richards at 9 p.m. ET on June 11.Richards injured his ankle in a May 17 match for Crystal Palace. Friday marked his first time doing ball work with the full group during the portion of training open to media, after having previously spent that time training individually since his arrival at U.S. camp.