Latest news with #ChrisRichards
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
US coach Mauricio Pochettino says 'We're going to have the possibility to win the World Cup'
United States defender Chris Richards (3) dribble the ball up the field past a fallen Turkey defender during the first half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Turkey's Kaan Ayhan slides to kick the ball away from United States midfielder Quinn Sullivan (7) during the second half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States goalie Matt Freese (25) directs his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Turkey forward Arda Güler (10) controls the ball ahead of United States defender Alex Freeman (16) during the second half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino encourages his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino encourages his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States defender Chris Richards (3) dribble the ball up the field past a fallen Turkey defender during the first half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Turkey's Kaan Ayhan slides to kick the ball away from United States midfielder Quinn Sullivan (7) during the second half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States goalie Matt Freese (25) directs his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Turkey forward Arda Güler (10) controls the ball ahead of United States defender Alex Freeman (16) during the second half of an international friendly soccer game, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino encourages his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A third straight loss didn't prevent Mauricio Pochettino from thinking big. 'We need to believe. We need to compete like today and for sure we're going to have the possibility to win the World Cup,' the U.S. coach said after the Americans lost their third straight game, wasting an early lead in a 2-1 defeat to Turkey in a friendly on Saturday. Advertisement Jack McGlynn scored 59 seconds in for the U.S., which was missing many regulars as Pochettino revamped his roster following a dismal performance at the CONCACAF Nations League final four in March. Turkey took advantage of a sloppy defense as Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored in a 2-minute, 20-second span midway through the first half. While the U.S. had 60% possession and outshot Turkey 13-11, the Americans dropped to 5-4 under Pochettino, who took over after first-round elimination at last year's Copa America led the U.S. Soccer Federation to fire coach Gregg Berhalter. They have lost three straight for the second time in a year. 'Today, who is going to tell me, oh, we showed lack of, we showed lack of — lack of what today?' said Pochettino, a 53-year-old from Argentina who coached Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. 'The team showed what (it) needed to show. ... Playing in this way, they are going to win most of the games.' Advertisement Coaching a nation that hasn't reached the World Cup semifinals since 1930 or the quarterfinals since 2022, Pochettino changed eight starters from the Nations League loss to Canada in March and kept only left back Max Arfsten, winger Diego Luna and forward Patrick Agyemang. 'Some guys that are coming in — and they're not thinking twice about taking someone on. It's not playing safe. It's like, let's take risks and try to go after this thing,' said midfielder Tyler Adams, who entered at the start of the second half. 'I think having fresh faces, guys that aren't fearless, young guys, that's going to help us.' With a year to go before co-hosting the World Cup, the U.S. plays Switzerland on Tuesday at Nashville, Tennessee, in another friendly, then opens the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15. 'I am really sad because I think this group of players are working so hard and I think we deserve (a) better result today,' Pochettino said. 'I think we performed well. I think we're brave enough. I think the attitude was: Go and press, match in every single aspect a team like Turkey that is one of the best teams in the last year in Europe.' Advertisement Defender Alex Freeman, a 20-year-old son of former NFL All-Pro receiver Antonio Freeman, started in his U.S. debut. Matt Freese, a starter at Major League Soccer's New York City, made his debut in goal. Matt Turner, the usual starter since 2022, didn't play for Crystal Palace after March 1. Midfielder Quinn Sullivan and defender Nathan Harriel made debuts as 65th-minute substitutes. McGlynn scored when he ran onto a pass from Malik Tilman, took several touches, cut inside and curled a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area inside the far post for his second goal in five international appearances. It was the earliest U.S. goal since Shaq Moore scored 20 seconds in against Canada during the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Turkey tied it in the 24th minute when Freese tapped the ball to Johnny Cardoso, whose pass ricocheted off a leg and past Freese for Güler's fifth international goal. Advertisement Then in the 27th, Miles Robinson tried to clear Oğuz Aydın's shot and the ball went to Aktürkoğlu, who one-timed a bouncing shot past Freese for his 12th international goal and sixth in eight games. 'Of the goals that we concede, that created a big mess on the team,' Pochettino said. ___ AP soccer:
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
In an inexperienced US squad, Chris Richards' presence will be key
Chris Richards is fresh off a strong end to his Premier League season, and he's staring down an important task: take hold of a leadership role in the US backline, and help to fix an ailing US men's national team. Easy, right? Compared to his recent exploits at club level, maybe. A few weeks ago, the 25-year-old Crystal Palace defender helped shut down Manchester City's foreboding lineup in the FA Cup final, leading his team to their first major trophy and becoming just the third American to secure that storied prize. With Guardiola's versatile crew holding nearly 80% of possession, Richards was stolid in defending and dominant in the air, winning nearly all of his duels while registering four blocked shots and 11 clearances in a historic 1-0 win. Navigating Concacaf's Gold Cup Group D – with Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia, and Haiti waiting – presents a different sort of challenge. It's unlikely the US will be limited to 20% of possession in any phase of the Gold Cup, however deep their run takes them; Richards' skill with the ball at his feet will be called upon as much as his defending. The team's two pre-tournament friendlies against solid Uefa teams – Türkiye this Saturday and Switzerland on Tuesday– will be a valuable opportunity to test their mettle against the caliber of teams they might meet in the knockout phase of a World Cup. But the team's primary collective issue at the moment seems to be mental. And for Richards, whose bright promise has been blighted over the years by injuries or uncertain club minutes, the question of the summer is whether he can translate his most convincing club form to the national team crest. 'It's been really great to see how much he's grown, and I think the ceiling for him as a player hasn't been, hasn't even been brushed yet,' said Matt Turner told reporters from US training week, having just completed a season as Richards' club teammate at Crystal Palace. 'The way he approached every single day in training when he crosses that white line is really fun to see.' With the bitter taste of the Nations League still lingering and the 2026 World Cup a year off, that sort of attitude adjustment could be exactly what the US needs. Arguably the last time the gritty characteristics that defined the USMNT were seen in full came in 2023, when Richards first staked his claim as a major player for the 2026 cycle. Richards took a long road to get there. After registering four starts and five appearances in Gregg Berhalter's backline during World Cup qualifying, injuries kept him from the 2022 World Cup. A year and a half passed between caps before Richards made a roaring return in Las Vegas for the 2023 Concacaf Nations League. He helped the US to a 3-0 win against Mexico in a wild semi-final that featured four red cards and nine yellow cards, and the immediately iconic image of Weston McKennie with his shirt in tatters while kissing the crest. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Richards scored his first and only USMNT goal in the 12th minute of the final, floating gracefully above the Canadian backline to head a ball from Reyna past Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan, before running to the corner to celebrate. If there is a vibe this team needs to reacquire, it's whatever aura fell over the squad during that strange week in Vegas. Thanks to injuries, personal requests, drops in form and other reasons, only three of the players that started against Canada that June are present in this roster. Richards is one of them. 'Today we have plenty of players playing abroad for USA. But the most important thing is the culture,' US manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Landon Donovan and Tim Howard's Unfiltered Soccer podcast. 'I think that we saw in you [Donovan and Howard] that to be desperate to come and be the priority, the national team … Because the possibility to defend one time, one time more, your flag, your shirt, I think that this is, I want to feel proud about that. And that is the responsibility of us to translate.' What the USMNT sorely needs from a player of Richards' stature is not simply to be present in the backline, but to find his next level with the national team, and command it. Whether playing Switzerland on Tuesday or Concacaf opposition in yet another Gold Cup knockout bout, Richards must grasp what's left of this team's flailing momentum and play a central role in propelling it toward a different future.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gundogan's overhead kick gives City lead v. Fulham
Crystal Palace aim to win first FA Cup in club history Crystal Palace will be hoping it will be a case of third time lucky against a Manchester club in the FA Cup final, as the Eagles take on Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Palace fell short against Manchester United in 2016 and 1990, and emerging star defender Chris Richards, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama, is acutely aware of the legendary Palace side of 1990, as he's been exclusively telling our Senior Sports Analyst Darren Lewis at the South London club's training ground. 4:01 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Highlights: CF Montréal 2-2 Los Angeles Football Club (MLS)
Crystal Palace aim to win first FA Cup in club history Crystal Palace will be hoping it will be a case of third time lucky against a Manchester club in the FA Cup final, as the Eagles take on Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Palace fell short against Manchester United in 2016 and 1990, and emerging star defender Chris Richards, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama, is acutely aware of the legendary Palace side of 1990, as he's been exclusively telling our Senior Sports Analyst Darren Lewis at the South London club's training ground. 4:01 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What it's like to watch your son win the FA Cup – by Chris Richards' parents
Almost a week has passed since Carrie Richards watched her son climb the Wembley steps to be greeted by Prince William, and raise the FA Cup with his victorious Crystal Palace team-mates. The rush of adrenaline will take some time yet to subside. So, too, will the beaming pride felt by Carrie and her husband, Ken. They flew in from Birmingham, Alabama, to see their son, the 25-year-old USMNT defender Chris Richards, become only the third American to win the FA Cup — as part of the Palace team that defeated Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Advertisement Matt Turner, the national team's goalkeeper, also received a winner's medal, albeit he was an unused substitute on the day. 'Saturday was the most surreal experience of my life,' Carrie grins, speaking on a video call with The Athletic from the family home. 'Seeing the fans walking down Wembley Way… I have never seen anything like it. The stadium was electric. My heart was beating. If I had worn my Apple watch, it probably would have told me I needed to go to the emergency room, from the moment we got there to the moment we left.' The game itself was a nerve-shredding, nail-eviscerating experience. Palace had never won a major trophy in their history. This was City's 14th appearance in an FA Cup final and they had won two of the previous six editions of the tournament. For Palace to win demanded extreme commitment, the players stretching every last sinew in red and blue. It needed supreme organisation, a splash of quality and also a little fortune. Palace scored the game's only goal via their talismanic attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, but also survived a red card review against their goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. He subsequently saved a penalty. Carrie says: 'Even if we'd been two or three ahead, I don't I think I would have felt any more comfortable! A few weeks back, we were 2-0 up against City and we still lost 5-2 (in the Premier League fixture).' Even after Palace survived 90 minutes of ordinary time, the fourth official's board indicated 10 additional minutes for stoppages. Ken and Carrie blow out their cheeks. 'We were counting down every last second,' she says. 'I remember seeing we were down to three minutes, but there wasn't a second where I was like, 'OK, I can breathe now!' until he blew the final whistle.' That was the starting pistol for an explosion of joy and abandon. Carrie, who was seated with the families of the Palace players, says: 'Everyone was in tears. Everyone was hugging…' Advertisement 'High-fiving, too,' Ken interjects. 'It was crazy. We were just ecstatic, there were lots of balloons going around.' The couple took in the scene. Multiple generations of families collapsing into each other on the terraces. Some players appeared to enter a trance; some sinking to their knees, others on their backs, exhausted, while more still embraced joyously. Messages from across the pond flooded into Carrie's inbox. One photograph in particular, of royalty placing the winners' medal around her son's neck, kept coming through. She says: 'What's funny is all my friends were more impressed with him being greeted by Prince William. They were like, 'Oh my gosh!' Americans are so fascinated with the royal family!' Richards excelled in the Palace defence, muzzling City superstar Erling Haaland. He made four blocks, 12 clearances and won five duels. Not once did an opponent dribble past him. Before the game, his parents had sent their usual text messages. Ken says: 'I tell him good luck. Trust your instincts, trust what you see, go out, play and have fun.' Carrie's message was a little more sentimental. 'I was telling him how proud I was. The coach Oliver Glasner told him this opportunity was not a burden, but a privilege. We just wanted Chris to stay in the moment, be present, enjoy every minute, because we knew or had been told that it could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.' Carrie and Ken's first pleasant surprise came when arriving at Wembley and seeing their son on the front cover of the match-day programme. As for how the Palace fans feel about him? 'People were walking around with Afro wigs on and American flags,' Carrie laughs. 'A whole group (of fans) were in the section of the stadium chanting 'USA!' That's priceless.' For the Richards family, this represented a milestone. Their collective story is one of devotion and sacrifice. Unseen to the ordinary fan is how families share in the emotional rollercoaster of professional soccer; matchday at the highest level can test emotions, but the journey to the summit requires patience, empathy and no little resilience. Advertisement Richards was born into a comfortable household. His mum worked in a managerial paralegal-type role in a law firm, while his dad owned a moving transportation company that helped people with house moves. But when the economy crashed in 2009, and far fewer people moved home, the business went under. 'We lost everything,' Carrie says. 'We had to start completely over, from doing very well before to having absolutely nothing. We were definitely pinching pennies every week. I can remember one time even Chris getting in from practice and him handing me a letter that said if we didn't pay his soccer fees, then he wouldn't get to play that next week. 'I was so embarrassed. We were just robbing Peter to pay Paul every week.' In the United States, life as a soccer parent can be exorbitantly expensive. Carrie and Ken say that Chris would often have games either out of state, or far enough away to require a hotel stay. He had two younger siblings who also required attention. 'We were an average family and we were struggling to pay it,' Carrie says. Trips out of town would cost at least $500 for a weekend. Carrie or Ken would often volunteer the passenger van for the team, because that was a way to have the cost of a hotel covered. 'There was another player whose parents could never go, so they would split the hotel costs with us and they would stay in our room,' she says. 'I don't think him quitting was ever a question. For us, it was always just, 'How are we going to do it?' rather than, 'Will we do it?'.' The family lived in Hoover, Alabama, around 10 miles south of Birmingham. A place where football is king — Hoover High School has 13 state titles — and soccer is seen as a curiosity. 'Soccer here is probably the fifth most popular sport,' says Carrie. 'It is only now (after the final) some people around us are starting to say, 'Oh, now I understand what Chris achieved because he's on the news'. Advertisement 'A few weeks ago, somebody asked me what I was going to London for. I said: 'Oh, my son plays soccer in England'. And they're like, 'Oh he doesn't want to play in the United States?'. So I think there's still a lot of people around here just don't understand the magnitude of playing in the Premier League. 'They're like, 'Oh, you're going all the way to the UK for a game?'. Yes, the FA Cup is the oldest tournament in history! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.' USA 🇺🇸 #CPFC — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 17, 2025 On Richards' arms, he has tattoos of heroes including Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama, but his first tattoo, written in Roman numerals, is the date he left home shortly after turning 16. He had not long been cut by FC Dallas when he was offered a place at U.S. Soccer Academy Development club Houston Texans SC. This was a step down to move forwards, playing in a non-MLS academy 10 hours from home. Chris, his mum admits, was 'devastated' when Dallas let him go. Ken says, 'I'm a little old school and I felt like he would do one of two things: he would give up or use it as fuel to push him on. That's exactly what he did. Sometimes it's good to have a little disappointment. It built a resilience which helped him as he left home and especially when he later moved to Europe.' For both parents, letting their eldest boy fly the nest was a wrench. Houston found him a host family, the Eastons, who met Carrie and Ken once before taking in their son. They remain in touch to this day and describe the family as 'just amazing'. 'We were thinking that we have two more years to prepare him for life — to learn how to cook, how to make a doctor's appointment,' says Carrie. 'He moved 10 hours away to a family that we'd barely met in a city that we've never been to. We were praying for the best. Advertisement 'But he was saying: 'We've got to do this'. So, OK, I've got to get on board. It was heart wrenching. 'I cried every day for God knows how long. Every time we went to see him, I would cry when we left. He didn't even have his driver's licence yet. Our other son Christian was two, just a little baby, and he was missing his big brother. It was almost like he'd gone to college two years early. We mentally weren't ready for that.' Ken smiles. 'And there were so many people, family and friends, in our ears, saying, 'Are you guys going to let them go? You guys are crazy. This is the worst idea you could have!',' he says. Carrie continues, 'We were second guessing ourselves, asking: 'Is this the dumbest thing we've ever done?'.' It turned out to be the opposite. Richards grew in height and quality while in Houston and his team racked up a string of impressive wins, including against the team who had released him. Dallas then invited him back and, after trials at Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim, he was signed by Bayern Munich just as he turned 18. There were a handful of appearances for Bayern's first team, as well as loan spells at Hoffenheim, before Palace spent an initial €12million (£10m; $13.5m) on Richards in the summer of 2022. This campaign has been his best yet, starting 28 games in Glasner's exciting Palace team, particularly coming to the fore in a second half of the season in which Palace have shot up the Premier League table and claimed the FA Cup. 'It was very moving at the final to see how much it meant to the people of south London — for him to be a part of something that's so historic,' says Ken. 'He'll forever be a part of that. Maybe 100 years from now, it'll be maybe a trivia question: 'Who's the American centre-back when we won our first FA Cup?'.' After the game, there was time for hugs, drinks and photographs at the nearby Boxpark, both with his parents and his girlfriend, who recently gave birth for the first time. His siblings watched from home, with his sister Mackenzie studying at college and younger brother Christian still at school. They sent explanations from across the pond when Carrie and Ken were trying to understand, amid little in-stadium communication, why the game had been delayed for a VAR review of Henderson's handball outside the penalty area. Advertisement But enough about Chris the footballer. What does Chris the person mean to his parents? Ken pauses, his eyes moistening. 'He's such a good person. Everybody thinks highly of their kids but he really is a great person who cares about other people. He's very humble, very considerate…' Carrie jumps in: 'He has a really good sense of humor.' Ken nods: 'Yes, he's funny. There are so many adjectives I can use, but he's special.' Carrie says: 'He would do anything for either of us, for his siblings. He's loyal to the friends he grew up with.' As parents of an American soccer player, the next year brings excitement, with a home World Cup on the horizon in the summer of 2026. 'He was injured right before the World Cup in Qatar,' Carrie adds. 'Since we had already taken off the time to go to the World Cup, we decided to go over and spend that time with him, because he was not in a good place emotionally at all. So we made sure we were there for him. 'When he was a little boy, he always had these little sticky notes on his mirror: he wants to achieve this or he wants to achieve that. Playing in the World Cup was one one of these. We would be so incredibly proud.'
