The upward trajectory of US youth international defender Chris Richards will have to wait, with Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick confirming that the 20-year-old will miss their next two games while recovering from a minor calf injury.
While no recovery timeline was provided, the FC Dallas academy product is guaranteed not to play in Thursday's DFB-Pokal match against Duren or in Saturday’s Bundesliga match against newly-promoted Arminia Bielefeld.
"He can't play," Flick said. "He had some problems with his calf muscles. It took a bit of time, but it's getting better. But we must be careful and integrate him into team training again step by step."
Richards, before the October international break, started and played 65 minutes in a 4-3 win over Hertha Berlin, assisting a Robert Lewandowski goal. That was his first senior-team start after previously coming off the bench three times for the German powerhouse club.
Richards, given his development, figures to break into the USMNT picture at some point. As he heals from this minor injury, perhaps an Oct. 21 UEFA Champions League group stage match against Atletico Madrid or Oct. 24 league match against Eintracht Frankfurt will mark his return.
