USMNT defender Chris Richards and Crystal Palace fall to West Ham to continue rough start to Premier League season

U.S. international Chris Richards and Palace were close to securing their first Premier League point of the season but suffered a 2-0 heartbreaker, losing their second consecutive match.

It was a tight match throughout and it was ultimately decided by West Ham's ability to take advantage of a scramble. Following several wild bounces in the box, the ball fell to Tomas Soucek, who placed a shot into the back of the net to give West Ham a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish.

West Ham would put the game away in the 72nd minute when Jarrod Bowen smashed the Hammers' second goal to seal all three points.

It'll be a particularly frustrating defeat for Palace, who now have zero points through two games against teams that are projected to be near them in the table.

Richards was in the XI for Palace, starting as part of a starting as part of a back three alongside Marc Guehi and Chadi Riad. Richards also started Palace's opener, a 2-1 loss to Brentford, with Joachim Andersen, who has since moved to Fulham, starting next to the American and Guehi.

The USMNT center-back will be eager to impress to start the season with Mauricio Pochettino reportedly set to take over as head coach ahead of September camp. Richards is expected to remain a starter, having secured a starting XI place following the 2022 World Cup, but everything is once again up for grabs with a new coach coming in.

After not playing much of a role during his 2022-23 debut season at the club, Richards earned a spot in the Palace XI last season, featuring 30 times in all competitions while also scoring his first, and so far only, Premier League goal.

It will be a short turnaround for Palace, who are back in action on Tuesday for an EFL Cup clash of USMNT stars. On one side will be Richards, of course, and, on the other, Josh Sargent, who will be likely leading the line for Norwich after starting the season hot in the Championship.