'Didn’t miss a game' - Charlie Davies says Crystal Palace manager Olivier Glasner’s tensions with USMNT influenced Chris Richards’ roster omission

Davies, the former USMNT star, pointed to Glasner's comments, but also suggested that the Crystal Palace manager contradicted himself by playing Richards extensively after the complaints. USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino played Richards in both October friendlies.

"You can’t reference a calf issue when you’re playing 90 minutes, I’m sorry… If it doesn’t prevent you from playing club football, then you certainly should be called into the national team camp," Davies said on CBS's Call It What You Want Podcast. "Of course [it’s an issue] with Oli Glasner and U.S. manager Pochettino from the last camp due to how much Chris Richards was played."

Glasner shared his frustrations that the U.S. ignored his request to rest the 25-year-old prior to matches against Ecuador and Australia.

“My only complaint is the U.S. team didn’t talk to us because Chris was struggling with his calf for many weeks,” the Palace manager said last week. “We talked to them and said he should rest as they were just friendlies. But they played him twice, every single minute. That’s a little bit disappointing. On the other side, we’ve tried to manage his minutes here, resting him against AEK Larnaca, but you can’t cheat your body."

Despite Glasner's concerns, Richards has played 90 minutes in all three of Palace's matches since his return. Davies said Richards should have been selected for the Pochettino's November camp.

"Fun fact though, Chris Richards went back to Crystal Palace and didn’t miss a game," Davies said. "He played in every match. That’s what I’m struggling to understand. If Chris Richards had gotten injury or came back injured from the national team, then you’d say, ‘Hey that’s uncalled for, you did this to him because you didn’t manage his minutes.' But that’s not what happened."

Pochettino, for his part, chose to focus on the opportunities presented to other players in the November camp.

"We want to win and, for sure, we are going to give the possibility to different players and the chances to perform, and maybe to present the possibility for them to be called in the future," Pochettino told reporters on Thursday after revealing the roster. "We want to give the opportunity in international duty to give experiences to some players, because you never know what can happen before we announce to the world the roster for the World Cup."

Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Auston Trusty (Celtic) are among the players who could feature at centerback in the November camp.

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