Chris Richards Could Be The Next Great American Defender
Ives Galarcep
3 Yrs Ago
Fans in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for the International Champions Cup match between Juventus and Bayern Munich in 2018 came to see familiar stars like Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Giorgio Chiellini, but what they didn’t know was that they were also able to see one of the best young prospects in American soccer before he was known by very many in the United States.
Chris Richards played 45 minutes that night for Bayern Munich, and the fans in Philadelphia couldn’t tell it was his first extended playing time in a pro setting, nor could they tell that the young defender they were watching was a 17-year-old kid from Alabama looking right at home in a match between two of the world’s biggest clubs.
Many more people know who Richards is now, but as we approach two years since that memorable night in Philadelphia, Richards is continuing to develop in the Bayern Munich system, emerging as a strong candidate to be part of the team’s rebuilding of its center back ranks.
That much has been made clear by Bayern’s decision to include Richards on its first-team squad for the first time, putting him on the bench for Tuesday’s match against Werder Bremen.
With Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez coming to the end of their lengthy spells at Bayern Munich, the German giants are heading for a retooling of their central defense. Young German defender Lukas Mai is one of the team’s top prospects, and so is Richards.
The 20-year-old defender broke out as an international prospect at last summer’s Under-20 World Cup, where he was one of the most impressive players in the tournament, and helped lead the Americans to the quarterfinals.
“Out of all the center backs I’ve coached I think he’s the one with the most potential,” Then U.S. Under-20 coach Tab Ramos said of Richards. “He has unlimited potential. All the other guys you could tell they’re good. They’re solid. I look at [Matt] Miazga, [Cameron] Carter-Vickers, Erik Palmer-Brown. I just think Richards has a really high ceiling. He also has great charisma, which other guys follow, and he makes a team better because of it.”
Richards showed at the Under-20 World Cup that he is not only a strong defender who can dominate in the air, but he’s also a sharp passer, which could make him an ideal fit for the U.S. Men’s National Team
“His ability to see the field and break lines with his passing — he’s a high-level passer from the back — and he’s just an athletic freak," said Eric Quill, Richards’ coach with youth club Texans SC in Houston. "He can jump through the roof. He’s just a kid you could see a real high ceiling with.”
Richards made a meteoric rise from youth soccer player in Alabama to taking the field for Bayern Munich in just two years. The first step saw him go from Alabama to Texas, where a was initially turned down by FC Dallas after a tryout, but rebounded and landed with Quill and Texans.
Richards helped lead Texans to a national championship, and win over FC Dallas in the process, leading Quill to propose that Richards and teammate Christian Cappis move to the FC Dallas academy, where their considerable potential could develop at one of the country’s top academies.
“Them coming back to (the Texans) would have been fine, but if they were going to really go somewhere in the game then time was of the essence and I wanted them to move on,” Quill said. “I told FC Dallas, ‘I’ve got these two players who are going to be pros at the highest level. I think you guys should take a look at them.’”
Quill was right, as both players have turned pro, with Cappis joining Norwegian side Hobro, while Richards signed a pro deal with FC Dallas and subsequently joined Bayern Munich’s U-19 team on loan.
Richards made a good early impression, showing enough to lead Bayern to invite him to be part of the team’s preseason roster to help offset the post-World Cup absences of several regulars.
That led to a surreal experience for Richards, who found himself taking charter flights and signing autographs despite being just 17 and not quite a professional player.
“I walk into the locker room and the first player I see is Arjen Robben and I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way this is real. I was playing FIFA with him a few days ago. This doesn’t happen every day,'" Richards said. “We were jogging around and I’m like, ‘These are the guys you see on TV at the highest level.’ But once we started playing I felt more comfortable and got over the nerves.”
Richards fit right in with the Bayern first team, appearing in multiple ICC matches in the summer of 2018 before joining the Bayern U-19 team. Richards' play with the U-19s impressed Bayern Munich enough to complete a $1.25 million transfer for the teenager in January of 2019. He moved up to Bayern’s reserve team this season, and has impressed as a regular starter with Bayern II.
Richards, who turns 20 in late March, has also established himself as a top prospect in the U.S. Men’s National Team pipeline, and will be a contender for a place on the U.S. Olympic team if the Americans qualify.
As for his status at Bayern, Richards has yet to make an official first-team appearance, but has been training with the first team after impressing with Bayern II, which led to his first inclusion on a Bayern match-day squad against Werder Bremen.
If Bayern does bid farewell to long-time centerbacks Boateng and Martinez, Richards could be in contention for a first-team roster spot next season. The young defender has already shown the potential to be a special talent. From that memorable night in Philadelphia, to his dominant showings at the Under-20 World Cup, Richards has repeatedly found a way to rise to the occasion, and in the process has left those who have watched him develop believing in his potential.
“This kid’s going to be the starting center back for the national team in the next World Cup. I completely believe that,” Quill said of Richards. “He’s got more. He’s getting better and better and better. His ceiling is so high. He’s different than anything we’ve ever had as a center back because I think his range of passing is better than any center back we’ve ever seen in the United States.”