'I didn't think it was reality' - Chris Richards on achieving the impossible, his World Cup dreams, and the brotherhood that defines the USMNT

Chris Richards thinks about home a lot. It's not that he's in a rush to get back to Birmingham, Ala., or anything, but he does miss it. He thinks about what his city was and what it's becoming. More than anything, he thinks about the part he can play in it all.

That sense of home is part of the reason why the Crystal Palace defender sends all of his memorabilia back. It's his family's to keep safe or display. Big-game jerseys, his FA Cup medal, keepsakes from the Community Shield, the ball from his first goal - all have been sent to Alabama. Of the various pieces of his career that he's amassed over these last few years, Richards kept just one, the one that means the most.

That one is a ball from his U.S. Men's National Team debut. It was signed by everyone who was on the field with him that day. That ball is different than the rest. Richards keeps it right in his living room because, for him, it serves as a reminder. That ball reminds him how much he's changed. Perhaps more than anything, though, it reminds him of how much change he can still create.

"No matter what country I've moved to, no matter where I've lived, I've always kept that ball," he tells GOAL. "I look at it every day, consciously or subconsciously, because that ball is something I worked my whole life for. I have to keep going, but every time I see it, I just remember the feeling of wearing that national team jersey for the first time. Then I fast forward and think about the national anthem for that first game against Paraguay at the World Cup..."

His voice tails off, but Richards quickly snaps back to it.

"I know it's going to be a proud moment. I'm not going to look too far ahead, but I know that, once March camp is done, it's going to be hard not to think about the World Cup," he says.

If all goes well, Richards will be a big part of this summer's highly anticipated tournament. Particularly over the last year or so, Richards has blossomed into a leader for club and country, taking massive leaps forward as a player. He's also lept forward as a person, too, which is why he feels more ready than he ever thought he'd be for the big moments ahead.

'I still have another level to go'
In January, Richards was recognized as U.S. Soccer's 2025 Male Player of the Year. Realistically, he was the clear choice. He won 48.6 percent of the vote, more than double any of the other nominees. The award was clearly Richards' because he'd earned it.

In 2025, he played more games and more minutes than he ever had with the USMNT. He was a Gold Cup Best XI selection for his role in leading the team to the final. All the while, he lifted two trophies with Crystal Palace, cementing 2025 as the year his life changed. That, more than anything, was what that award meant to him; it meant that everything was changing for the better.

"I think when the award happened, I was super excited for it, but I feel like I still have another level to go," he says. "I want to win it more than once. It's amazing to win this, but I think I enjoyed it more for what it meant. It's not just me; it's where I come from, the people who helped me along the way, the kids back in Birmingham wanting to make this their life. That's why this meant so much more. It'll be there forever, and it's symbolic. That's why it's one of the proudest moments of my life.

"Growing up, I wanted to do this, but I didn't think it was reality."

The center back can pinpoint the moment he realized it was. He remembers sitting in his living room back in Alabama, wondering how far he could take it. Then he saw Christian Pulisic score for Borussia Dortmund and realized he could take things as far as he wanted. Pulisic was two years older than him, proving that Americans can play at the highest levels of Europe. Now, they're both Player of the Year winners.

"I'll never forget thinking like, 'Man, I want to be on that stage someday'," he says. "I wanted to do that, too. It made me want to work just that one percent harder. It's crazy that Christian and I play together now. He's not that much older than me, but I feel like when you see people who are having similar experiences to you, you think, 'Cool, I can be just like them'."

Now, all these years later, Richards has found his own place, which continues to evolve both in the U.S. and England.