Chris Richards

Chris Richards

Christopher Jeffrey Richards (born March 28, 2000 in Birmingham) is a defender for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League and a member of the US Men's National Team.

Richards is the son of Ken and Carrie Richards and grew up playing for the Hoover Soccer Club and Birmingham United Soccer Club. He played for Texans SC Houston in 2016 and joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2017. He was signed by FC Dallas in April 2018 and invited by his new team to try out with FC Bayern München in May. In July he was offered a one-year contract to play in Munich on loan from Dallas. He took the $1.5 million offer instead of accepting a scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He played as a regular starter for FC Bayern's Under 19 team. He made his debut with the 3. Liga club on August 19, 2019.

On June 20, 2020 Richards saw his first action with FC Bayern München of the Bundesliga, becoming the first American to start a match in the team's history. On July 7, 2022 he signed a 5-year contract with Crystal Palace FC. He made his debut in the Premier League by coming in at the 79th minute of a 1-1 draw against Liverpool.

Richards debuted for the U.S. Men's Under 20 team in May 2018 and was on the roster for the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and started in two matches. In the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Richards started all five matches and played four complete games, including a surprise defeat of France.

In 2020 Richards was named to the U.S. men's national team. That November, he saw his first in-game action during a a friendly with Panama, and was named a player of that game by USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter.

References

• Goodman, Joseph (June 3, 2019) "Alabama-born players represent future of U.S. Soccer." The Birmingham News
• "Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards: 'It’s time for me to get a shot at showing what I have'." (May 2020) Bundesliga
• "Chris Richards (soccer)" (August 16, 2022) Wikipedia - accessed August 16, 2022
• Goodman, Joseph (November 17, 2020) "Is the future now for Chris Richards of the USMNT?" The Birmingham News
• Goodman, Joseph (November 23, 2020) "Chris Richards of USMNT receives honor, video reveals." The Birmingham News

External links

• Chris Richards at CPFC.co.uk
• Chris Richards at Soccerway.com
• Chris Richards at WorldFootball.net
• Chris Richards at USSoccer.com