USMNT hopefuls Brenden Aaronson, Chris Richards have injury scares

Field Level Media|published: Sun 17th May, 16:27 2026

Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; United States forward Brenden Aaronson (11) controls the ball against Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

United States attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson came away with left leg injury while playing for Leeds United on Sunday, although initial speculation is that the setback is not expected to jeopardize his World Cup status.

Prospective USMNT defender Chris Richards also went down with a injury Sunday when he rolled his left ankle while playing for Crystal Palace. The second-half substitute returned to the match after a minute on the sideline and played to its completion.

Aaronson, who is in excellent position to make the United States Men's National Team for the second consecutive World Cup cycle, went to the ground in the 58th minute of Leeds' Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 25-year-old Medford, N. J., native was clutching at his left leg as Leeds' medical team came onto the pitch. He limped off the field and was replaced in an eventual 1-0 victory.

Richards, 26, is a native of Alabama who was in the FC Dallas development program before joining Bayern Munich's academy in Germany in 2018. He played in Germany's Bundesliga for two seasons before moving to Crystal Palace in 2022.

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino will reveal his 26-player squad for this summer's World Cup on May 26 at a public event in New York.

Aaronson tops Leeds with five assists and has added four goals, while playing a team-best 35 (of 37) matches this season.

Aaronson signed a five-year deal with Leeds in 2022. He was loaned to FC Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga in 2023-24 after Leeds was relegated, but returned to the West Yorkshire, England, club a year later.

Aaronson earned his first call-up to the USMNT in October 2019, made his debut with the team in 2020 and played in all three of the United States' 2022 World Cup games.

Richards has 36 appearances with the USNMT since 2020, scoring three goals, but was not named to the United States' 2022 World Cup roster. He has played in 33 Premier League games for Crystal Palace this season, scoring one goal.

--Field Level Media

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