Chris Richards is doing his job to represent the USA positively.
He's won awards at the national team level, grown into a leader for the squad, and taken on an understanding of playing for his country. Richards appeared on FOX Sports' First Things First on Tuesday to reign in the 100 days from the World Cup landmark and express his passion for the US Men's National team.
Richards showed that passion with talent, earning the USMNT Player of the Year in 2025.
"I was kind of stunned to be fair," Richards said. "I feel like I had a good year, but I feel like I still have another level to go. I'm not content, I guess, with the year I had. For everybody to have voted for me to Player of the Year, it meant a lot, especially with the group of names that was on there before me."
Richards, a defender for Crystal Palace, helped the team keep 10 clean sheets in 18 Premier League games during the 2024-25 season and nine clean sheets in 24 appearances this year. He celebrated winning the award, he said, by calling his family. Not only did Richards thank his country, but he expressed gratitude for his hometown in Alabama.
"Not many people think of Birmingham as this kind of soccer hotbed and, with all the adversity, all the stigmas ... being the first one from Birmingham to have won this award, it means a lot," Richards said.
Richards has also protected his country on the pitch. During a friendly between the US and Paraguay in November, the two teams brawled. Now, USA has Paraguay in its group. When asked if he regrets the brawl, Richards embraced the antics.
"This is something I'm passionate about, and it makes you even more passionate when you have that USA on your chest. For me, you know, you can call it bad blood, but every team we go out there and play against we want to beat, and we want to beat badly. If they want to bring a fight to it, so be it. I think that’s one of the things that makes us American is that we’re not afraid of any fights," Richards said.
"That's the mentality we've adopted over the last few years, and especially now, playing on home soil, I feel like we have a lot more to play for. You can call it bad blood, but I think every team we play is a rivalry," Richards added.
There's a history of host countries thriving on home turf, as 13 of 22 host nations have made at least the semis, and 8 countries had their best finishes ever was when they hosted the World Cup. So how will Richards and the United States ensure that they carry on that trend?
"Knowing that you're playing in front of the country whose flag you're wearing, knowing that you're playing for more than just yourself," Richards said. "I think it has to be pride."
