Meet the USMNT: Why Chris Richards could be Mauricio Pochettino’s most important World Cup player

In another world, Richards would be playing the other type of football. That's usually how it goes in Alabama. Born in Birmingham and raised in Hoover, Richards grew up in a high school and college football hotbed. It was soccer that caught his attention, though, and the USMNT will be glad it did.

It didn't start particularly spectacularly. After initially breaking through locally, Richards initially tried out for the FC Dallas academy at age 16. He was cut. After a year in Houston, he returned to FC Dallas one year later and earned his place. He didn't stay in Texas long, though. 

In May 2018, just a month after signing his first professional contract with FC Dallas, Richards took part in a 10-day trial with Bayern Munich, who was a partner club with the MLS side. It went better than imagined. That July, he was offered a one-year loan with the German club, kickstarting a meteoric rise that few could have seen coming.

Just two years after failing to make the grade at FC Dallas, Richards had been signed by one of the world's best clubs.

Just weeks after signing with Bayern, Richards was thrown right into the fire, debuting for the German megaclub as a substitute against PSG at the International Champions Cup - a 3-1 win. He spent the next few years at Bayern, making 10 total first-team appearances, but it was his loan stay with Hoffenheim that saw Richards really burst through as a top-flight defender.

After two loan spells at Hoffenheim and limited opportunities at Bayern Munich, Richards took a major step in 2022 by joining Crystal Palace. It took some time, but Richards has now established himself as a bona fide Premier League defender, one who has already helped make history with the London-based club.

Crystal Palace was founded, officially, in 1905. The club's origins date back as far as 1861. In all that time, the club had never won a major top-flight trophy. That was until 2025, when Richards helped lead them to glory.

After officially cementing himself as a starter through the winter, Richards was a mainstay for Palace all through their fairytale FA Cup run. He was immense in the later stages, including in the finale: 1-0 win over juggernaut Manchester City. 

"Maybe you're at City or Liverpool, and this stuff goes under the radar. Not at Palace," Richards told GOAL this past summer. "When you do something for the first time, and in the way we did it? It was perfect."

Richards has been a key figure for Palace ever since. He helped the club lift another trophy, the Community Shield, with a win over Liverpool in August. While Premier League performances have been up and down, Palace are into the knockout rounds of the Conference League in their first-ever European campaign.

Since his big move to Bayern, Richards has been labeled as the USMNT's center back of the future. Well, the future has arrived.

After making his debut in 2020, Richards really kick-started his national team career in 2021, earning five of his first six caps that year. A hamstring injury, however, prevented him from really contending for a World Cup spot in 2022, which meant that the 2026 cycle would be his first real run with the USMNT.

In some ways, everything changed for Richards during the 2024-25 season at Palace. After a hard conversation with assistant coach Paddy McCarthy, Richards found a new lease on life, one that made him feel responsible for stepping into a leadership role with the USMNT.

"I understand I'm a leader and I want to act like it," he told GOAL. "Regardless of who's on the team at the World Cup next year, I still want to be that person. I came into this summer with the confidence to say, 'Man, I'm doing my own f*cking thing, and I’m going to be me'. Like, I'm going to earn my spot, but I'm also going to try and be captain or whatever the case may be."

Richards lived that in 2025. He was arguably the USMNT's best player through the Gold Cup, allowing him to take that leap and find his voice in the USMNT locker room. By the time fall rolled around, there was no doubt that Richards was one of the first names on the U.S. team sheet, and he'll stay that way for the foreseeable future.

In more ways than one, Richards is the USMNT's rock. Off the field, he's a tone setter, someone who brings both competitiveness and humor to those moments that aren't in the spotlight. On the field, he's a steady hand, and he has only gotten steadier as his confidence has built.

Heading into the World Cup, Richards figures to be an integral part of the USMNT defense. With Mauricio Pochettino leaning towards a back three recently, Richards should be the headliner of that center back trio. He plays in a similar system at Palace and has thrived in it. For the U.S. to succeed this summer, he'll have to thrive in the Red, White, and Blue, too.

Defensively, Richards is the USMNT's heart and soul. It's why he is perhaps the team's most important piece heading into the team's most important tournament.