MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — American defender Chris Richards has recovered from a knee injury and says he can play in the United States' friendly against Portugal on Tuesday but midfielder Johnny Cardoso is hurt and will leave camp ahead of the game.
Richards, the top American central defender, missed Saturday's 5-2 loss to Belgium.
Richards sustained a slight injury during Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League match at Larnaca on March 19.
“I’m fine,” he said Monday. “I had a bad tackle in my last game with Palace and so just a little bit of knee pain, knee soreness, but I’ve been training individually all week and I’m available for tomorrow.”
Cardoso started against Belgium and was replaced by Cristian Roldan for the start of the second half. Cardoso was to return Monday night to Atletico Madrid.
“Johnny arrived from Madrid with some small things, issues,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “The plan was to play 45 minutes, but when finished after 45 minutes he feel again this type of uncomfortable things in some part of his leg.
“I think he was good during 45 minutes.” Pochettino said. “I am happy with his performance, commitment and intention to play.”
Pochettino said he may tinker with the positioning of Christian Pulisic, who usually is on a wing with the national team. Pulisic is scoreless in his last 12 games with AC Milan and his last seven for the U.S. dating to November 2024.
“Maybe we help a little bit to go a little bit more closer to the goal,” Pochettino said. “Maybe we can do some tests also to play with maybe more midfielder and less offensive player.”
Pochettino said he never felt comfortable during Saturday's loss to Belgium. Weston McKennie put the U.S. ahead in the 39th minute and the Americans allowed five straight goals.
“You saw my face when we scored,” Pochettino said, drawing his lips and trying to show no emotion. “My gut feeling, it wasn’t good. You say why? Because when we scored, we should be the third goal, not the first goal.”
Pochettino said maintaining aggressiveness is the same as dietary control following weight loss.
“After you need to have discipline, no? No big intention to eat the nice food and everything like this,” he said. “I won but then it’s nice, no, the chicken, the steak, the lasagna, the pasta?”
Pochettino laughed about having to learn which name or nickname to use referring to each player.
“I have Christian Pulisic, Cristian Roldan, Chris is Richards and sometimes now they make me to change: Cristian Rolan is Roldy, Roldan, and Antonee Robinson is Jedi,” he said. “I am learning how to call after nearly after two years these guys.”
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Atletico Madrid's Johnny Cardoso during a press conference in London, Tuesday March 17, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba prepared on Monday to receive a sanctioned Russian tanker carrying roughly 730,000 barrels of oil, the first such delivery this year to the island that has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade.
It comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he had “no problem” with the Russian oil tanker delivering relief to Cuba.
The exact location of the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin remained a subject of conflicting reports. While the Russian Transport Ministry and the state-run news portal Cubadebate said the vessel had already arrived, ship-tracking data showed it was still navigating Cuban waters with an estimated docking time of Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Russia had previously discussed its oil shipment to Cuba with the United States. “Russia considers it its duty not to stand aside, but to provide the necessary assistance to our Cuban friends,” he told reporters.
The tanker's final destination is the port of Matanzas, a strategic hub for an island that produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid. Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.
Asked about Trump’s decision to allow the Russian oil tanker and not ones from other nations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday called it "a decision that will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or otherwise," adding that “there’s been no firm change in our sanctions policy.”
Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate.
Islandwide blackouts have roiled Cubans who have grappled with years of crisis, and a lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospitals and slashed public transport.
For years, Mexico sent oil to Cuba in solidarity as the island struggled with an energy crisis, but it was effectively forced to halt the shipments under the threat of U.S. tariffs. Mexico pivoted to sending humanitarian aid, including food and hygiene products.
Asked about Trump's comments on allowing the Russian vessel through, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told journalists that her country will continue sending aid and that “work was underway" with Cuban authorities to trade oil in the future.
Sheinbaum, who has walked a fine line with Trump to offset threats of tariffs and military action against cartels, provided few details.
She noted that private companies in Cuba, including hotels, “are looking for private entities willing to supply them with fuel,” and that they have approached Mexico's state-owned oil company to purchase crude oil, adding that these requests are being reviewed.
Cuba has been at the heart of a geopolitical tug-of-war between the U.S. and Russia that dates back decades.
Trump on Sunday dismissed the idea that allowing the boat to reach Cuba would help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It doesn’t help him. He loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is. If he wants to do that, and if other countries want to do it, it doesn’t bother me much,” Trump said. “It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”
The U.S., the European Union and the United Kingdom sanctioned multiple vessels, including the Anatoly Kolodkin, used to carry Russian oil following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
A quinceanera rides in a vintage car during her birthday celebration in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
One of two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid organized by activists with an international organization that departed from Mexico arrives in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
