Chris Richards Wants His Gold Cup Heroics To Lead the U.S. At '26 World Cup

AUSTIN, Texas – At the final whistle, Chris Richards dropped to the turf on one knee, looked up at the sky, crossed his chest and said a quick prayer. The U.S. men’s national team had just beaten Saudi Arabia 1-0 to clinch its second straight Gold Cup victory, and he was relieved.

On a hot and sticky evening at Q2 Stadium, when the front line couldn’t find the back of the net, it was Richards who stepped up and not only saved a goal in the first half, but scored the winning one in the second. The result means the USMNT will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, despite still having one more group stage match against Haiti on Sunday (7 p.m. ET on FOX).

Richards, 25, is one of the more experienced players for the USMNT with 27 caps. The 6-foot-1 stalwart defender made 32 appearances across all competitions for Crystal Palace in England this season and helped his club win the FA Cup in May. He would likely have been a starting center back alongside Tim Ream at the 2022 World Cup had a hamstring tear not ruled him out.

While not being part of that group in Qatar was tough for Richards, he’s grown for both club and country since, and has proven to be a clear and steady leader for an otherwise young squad this summer.

"He is the type of player who can be a leader and step up for the team with his performance," U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said. "I’m so happy for him because he’s a really great guy, and I think this season with Crystal Palace was fantastic for him, and now he’s trying to translate all his experience to this team.

"But most important is that he’s so humble. And that is what I like the most. When he arrives [in camp], he’s always very open to learn, to talk."

That’s because Richards understands the