Why I believe in Chris Richards and you should too
How the quality of the person can change their outcome
I was in the crowd at Anfield last weekend to catch Crystal Palace and Liverpool hoping to see a debut from USMNT CB Chris Richards.
Chris Richards as a centerback is already a tantalizing prospect. At 22 years old the Birmingham, Alabama native has already competed next to and against the best players in the world. At Bayern and then Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga, Richards was a locked starter every weekend against the likes of Leroy Sane, Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and more. Over the Summer transfer window Chris got closer to achieving his dream of playing the Premier League when he was transferred to Crystal Palace - a deep rooted, community-based club in South london.
Something that has always been apparent to me is that good people - good human beings that care for others have a unique quality in team environments. The quality that acts as a catalyser for success isn’t even a quality that is attached to that specific person, but is something that lives in the people that surround them. That personal care, the way you act towards others creates an environment where everyone around you wants to see and help you succeed.
In the second match of the Premier League season Crystal Palace faced off against Liverpool at Anfield. The Liverpudlians are deafeningly loud on a normal day at Anfield, but this was a primetime Monday night matchup that was the first home game of the season. Chris Richards sat on the bench watching as Crystal Palace star forward Zaha slotted home the leading goal in the first half. Richards warmed up at halftime on the pitch as the other players headed to the locker room. As he lazily stretched from the sidelines, Richards was laser-focused on his manager Patrick Vieira on the coach’s touchline waiting anxiously to be called into the game for his debut.
The game was shaping up to need an extra defender for Palace. Liverpool’s big summer transfer Darwin Nunez was sent off for a headbutt with his team down 0-1. Somehow and someway the red crowd continued to support their club on the pitch and pushed with their noise until Luis Diaz cracked the equalizer for Liverpool. I swear it was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. It was one of the most surreal feelings I’ve ever experienced.
With 30 minutes to go in the match tied 1-1, the crowd was energized to the point of bursting. Every tackle, every forward pass, every opportunity to shoot was met with noise and passion and energy. That’s the best way I can describe it - Liverpool’s 53,000 fans gave their team an urgent energy. This would be a difficult situation for anyone to play in, let alone a 22 year old making his debut for the away team… and yet Vieira looked over to the corner flag where Richards was warming up and made the call. Chris Richards would make his debut in the Anfield opener with his team holding onto a 1-1 draw. He would be trusted to face Luis Diaz, Mo Salah, and Virgil van Dijk and he would leave the game with his head held high.
Chris Richards made every tackle, won every header, and even set his team up for a winner that was sliced wide on the last corner kick of the match. Again - this would all be a sweet story if that was it, but it’s not.
Thanks to some connections of Chris I was able to have dinner with him and his family a few days before the Liverpool match. His little brother (who has made his own viral waves with his futsal skill) chose the restaurant - the English peri-peri chicken staple Nando’s.
The first thing that stood out to me is that his family is kind, caring, and full of love. I won’t go into any detail as this was not a meeting to bolster It’s Called Soccer, but an opportunity to build a new human connection. Chris didn’t have any of the negative characteristics you hear fame or professional athletes having. He was thoughtful and mature, and it made me happy to see how he treated his mom and brother and everyone around him. This was someone you want to root for. This is someone that has a good heart and you want to see succeed.
As I stood in the Palace section at Anfield watching Chris, and in turn Chris watching Vieira, I was struck by how much I wanted this to happen on Chris’ behalf. When he jogged to the touchline to be substituted on I was already celebrating - not because he is another USMNT prospect making his debut, but because I genuinely wanted to see him as a person achieve his dreams.
Now one dream is complete and another awaits. Chris is hopeful to be a part of the USA’s squad in Qatar this winter for the World Cup. I for one want to see him, and many other quality humans walk onto the pitch and surprise the world.