U.S. men’s national team defender Chris Richards admitted that he was ready to fight his Australian opponents during a physical friendly match on Tuesday evening which counted Christian Pulisic as one major casualty.
The USMNT figurehead limped off inside the openly half-hour after finding himself on the end of some rugged challenges at the Sports Illustrated Stadium. There were 26 fouls whistled by Trinidad & Tobago official Kwinsi Williams but Richards argued that several more should have been flagged.
“They’re lucky it was a friendly. I was ready to go,” Richards seethed postgame. “And if [the referee] didn’t give me a s--- yellow in the corner, I probably would’ve killed somebody.”
Wound up even tighter after falling behind to a 19th-minute opener from Jordan Bos, Richards and his colleagues managed to keep their cool to stage an impressive comeback. Coventry City forward Haji Wright hauled the hosts level barely five minutes after Pulisic departed before nabbing a decisive second following the halftime interval.
Some positivity is beginning to be fostered around the co-hosts, but concerns over the severity of Pulisic’s injury have undoubtedly tainted the win.
‘I Didn’t Try to Injure Christian Pulisic’
Jason Geria was the Australian defender who felled the USMNT’s star man, but he was keen to insist that it was not the result of a premeditated plan. “I wasn’t specifically going out to batter him up or anything,” the Albirex Niigata fullback told The Athletic.
“I heard he’s hurt, so I hope he’s OK,” he added.
However, Geria was not prepared to stretch to an apology. “We’re a physical team, and we’re up for a fight, regardless of the opponent,” he warned.
“The U.S. is a pretty physical team as well, we were expecting that. We’re not a country that’s gonna be overawed by a physical game.”
When presented with the friendly status of the fixture, Geria shrugged: “This is preparation for the World Cup. You only get so many opportunities to have games like this, against opposition like this. Every second of the game is important. It shouldn’t be taken as, ‘Yeah, it’s just a friendly, or it’s just practice,’ or whatever. You play these games like they’re tournament games. That’s how your mental approach has to be, so that’s how the physical output has to be as well.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Furious USMNT Star Wanted to Fight in Australia Friendly.
