Crystal Palace FC's first-ever major European adventure is underway, as we battle to win the UEFA Conference League. Find out how you can join us on our journey.

European Tour

## Born in the USA

> After a remarkable two-year journey from Alabama to Bayern Munich, Chris Richards fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moved to the Premier League with Crystal Palace in 2022.

Born in Alabama, USA, Richards began his career near Houston before joining F.C. Dallas’ Academy and earning a professional contract there.

He moved to Houston and then Dallas aged 16 – both over 600 miles from his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where his parents still live – and initially lived alone with a host family. He then made the even larger jump of joining Bayern Munich aged 18, where he learnt fluent German and made his senior debut shortly after signing.

From here Richards’ rise was swift: he made his senior debut in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, his professional debut with Bayern Munich II in 2019, and his full Bayern debut in June 2020. A few months later he featured as a substitute in the German side’s DFL-Supercup win over Borussia Dortmund.

The young defender went on to represent Bayern in the Bundesliga and Champions League before joining 1899 Hoffenheim on loan in 2021. He has played a total of 82 professional matches.

Richards began his international career early, too, competing with the US Under-20s to win the CONCACAF U20 Championship aged 18. His performances at this level earned him a senior debut in November 2020, coming on as a substitute against Panama. Richards has since amassed seven further caps.

He made his debut for the Eagles at Anfield as a second-half substitute in August 2022. Richards went on to make his first start for the club, after a leg injury, in January 2023 in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Selhurst Park.

Commenting on his first start he said: “It was worth the wait! Being able to make it \[my first Premier League start\] at home, especially in a game like tonight, was amazing."

His performances against Manchester United home and away, along with keeping a clean sheet against Newcastle United, saw him win the club's Player of the Month award in January 2023.

Richards' first domestic season in red and blue ended with 10 appearances in total, however he also managed to score his first international goal in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League against Canada to guide the United States to a 2-0 win.

The 2023/24 campaign saw Richards establish more of a place in the side, playing multiple roles as a centre-back, defensive midfielder and even as a right-back. He racked up 30 appearances in total, and scored his first goal against Burnley in a 3-0 win at Selhurst Park in February 2024.

Richards also found CONCACAF Nations League success once more, winning the title again in a 2-0 win over Mexico in March 2024. He was also recognised for his exceptional work with the Palace for Life Foundation - winning the PFA Community Champion award.

In 2024/25, Richards made 32 appearances across all competitions - six of which were in the FA Cup, where he played every single minute on the way to making history in the final against Manchester City.

2020

IFFHS Men's World Youth Team

January 2023

Crystal Palace Player of the Month

2023/24

PFA Community Champion

Richards

Twitter

Instagram

Appearances

Goals

Richards reflects on Mostar

Richards reflects on 100th Palace appearance

CPFC x SunExpress aircraft livery

Chris Richards Previews Fulham

The best of our Defenders | Brighton (H)

Chris speaks on victory against Brentford

Match Highlights: Crystal Palace 1-1 Millwall

The Full 90: Crystal Palace v Millwall | Palace TV+

Chris speaks on win against Millwall

Richards reflects on victory at Villa Park

Chris speaks on tough game against Nottingham Forest

Chris speaks on solid performance against Chelsea

Richards on the final game at Anfield 

Fa Cup Final | Chris Richards & Matt Turner | Post Match Interview

Richards praises team spirit

Goals Inside Box

Goals Outside Box

Right Foot

Left Foot

Shots

Shots on target

Hit woodwork

Penalties taken

Penalties scored

Touches

Touches in opposition box

Aerial duels

Aerial duels won

Interceptions

Blocks

Recoveries

Tackles won

Duels won

Clearances

Minutes

Attempted passes

Successful passes

Chances created

Crosses

Yellow cards

Red cards

Fouls won

Fouls Conceded

Season

Games

The 26-year-old arrived in South London from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 but took time to establish himself as a consistent first-choice pick for the Eagles, initially featuring just nine times in his inaugural Premier League season.

In the last two seasons, however, Richards has been a first-choice pick at centre-back, playing every minute of Palace’s successful FA Cup run last season – and starting 10 of our 12 UEFA Conference League matches this time around.

But to get to that point demanded initial patience, and the assistance of Ward as a leader at Palace.

"I think as a 22-year-old who came from a big club like Bayern, you're thinking, ‘alright, cool, I'm gonna get here, I'm gonna play’,” Richards recently recalled of his arrival, [speaking to CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/chris-richards-usmnt-most-important-defender/).

"I feel like I was doing everything right and so [Ward] pulled me to the side a few times, like: 'Everybody sees you doing the right thing. Just keep doing the right thing so that when your time does come, you're ready for it.’

“He wasn't even really playing at the time but he knew what his spot and what his role was in the club, and he did it perfectly.”

I want to continue to establish myself as a leader, kind of like what Joel Ward did for me

Those reassuring words helped inspire the growth Richards has enjoyed for club and country in recent years, with the defender saying he took inspiration from the then-Palace captain.

Richards added: "I want to continue to establish myself as a leader, kind of like what Joel Ward did for me.

“I think understanding that maybe there's going to be people who are going to be upset with how many minutes they play, with how training goes… but I think being able to pull somebody and have this conversation with them, knowing that [they're] having a tough tme, it's something that I really want to do for the team because it makes us stronger.

“You never know if you're going to play 90 minutes, you're going to come on to play two minutes, but every minute that you play is going to count, especially [for the USA] at a World Cup, so like I said… I'm making everybody feel welcome but also making everybody feel like they're bought into this culture."

Nowadays, Richards is one of the first names on the teamsheet for both Palace and the USA, playing in the back three – a role he relishes.

"I love it," he told CBS. "I think even for us defenders, it's a chance for us to be aggressive. When you're so far off the pitch, it's your time to smash into somebody and you win the ball up that high and then it really is a counter-attack within 20 yards of goals. I really enjoy it. I really do.

"I think there's a lot of emphasis on ball-playing center backs but for me, my first role is to defend. "Of course, I want to be able to play with the ball. I feel like I do pretty well but I think being able to usually defend and kind of completely eliminate the other team's best attacking threat, that makes me happier than anything.

"Now, I think to be a central defender, you have to be a little sick in the head, to be honest with you! You have to want to head the ball. You have to want to crunch people and pretty much, your job is that once you get the ball, to give to the people who go make the magic happen.

"For me, my favourite thing in the world is to have like a crazy crunch tackle and everybody goes wild so I'd rather do that than score a goal. That's my job and I love it."

Now a settled South Londoner himself, Richards also recalled how much last season’s trophy-winning successes meant to him and the people around him.

He smiled: "One thing about South London is that it's a bunch of hardworking people but also a lot of blue collar people, and so now, whether I'm in a taxi, a lot of the taxi drivers are Crystal Palace fans and they're always like: 'Thank you for everything that you've done for the club.’

“Being able to bring a club and bring a community something that they hadn't achieved in over a hundred years, I think it's hard to really comprehend it because I'd never seen something like that.

“To understand, I guess, the gravity of what we did, seeing the final whistle and seeing all the emotions from fans, from employees who have been at the club forever from people on social media, from taxi drivers, it was just… it was beautiful to see, and I still see it.

“Even yesterday in the park, I was walking and a guy pulled me and was like: 'Thank you for everything that you've done for Crystal Palace.' For me, of course I loved winning a trophy, but it was so much more than winning a trophy. It was giving back to the community that had never won something so I think it was amazing.

“ It was beautiful. It was every possible positive word you could say, that's what it was."

Chris Richards is these days a mainstay in both Crystal Palace and the United States’ starting XI – but the centre-back was full of praise for former captain Joel Ward’s guidance towards attaining that status.

Richards reveals teammate's advice which settled him in South London

Crystal Palace

UEFA Conference League

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Get ready for Europe!

[For more information on today's match, including what's on offer and how to get tickets, please click here.](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/women/what-to-expect-from-from-the-easter-sunday-special/)

**Download your free digital matchday programme below!**

Crystal Palace Women face Ipswich Town at the VBS Community Stadium tomorrow (Sunday, 5th April, 14:00 BST kick-off) – and you can enjoy your FREE digital matchday programme below!

Download your Palace Women's WSL2 digital programme for Ipswich Town!

Crystal Palace Women v Ipswich Town Women (2026-04-05)

Palace Women have three huge games left to go in the race for promotion, starting with Ipswich on Sunday.

**Kicking off at 14:00 BST on Easter Sunday - here is what you can expect from Sunday's game in South London...**

Buy Ipswich tickets here!

#### **What to expect from our Fanzone?**

The **Fanzone opens at 12:30 BST**, 90 minutes before kick-off, and is packed with family-friendly games and activities. It's the perfect place to get into the matchday spirit!

**You can look forward to a range of exciting attractions, including:**

- **Early Easter Excitement:** The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a special Easter treat.
- **Arts and Crafts station:** Make your Easter masterpiece with our popular Arts and Crafts station.
- **Face-painter:** Show your support in style and get your face painted with the Palace colours.

#### **What else can I expect?**

- **Half-time penalty shootout:** Our popular penalty shootout will run at half-time!
- **Pete and Alice:** Get your photo taken with our beloved club mascots, Pete and Alice, who will be there to meet fans of all ages.

### **Match Details**

- **Crystal Palace Women vs Ipswich Town Women**
- **Sunday, 5th April (14:00 BST)**
- **Barclays Women's Super League 2**
- **VBS Community Stadium**

**First time at the VBS? Check out our Supporters Guide below!**

Supporters Guide

After their huge win over Charlton, Crystal Palace Women will now host Ipswich Town on Sunday, 5th April. Read below to see what is on offer!

What to expect from the Easter Sunday Special!

First-team

First-team

Richards reveals teammate's advice which settled him in South London

Download your Palace Women's WSL2 digital programme for Ipswich Town!

What to expect from the Easter Sunday Special!

Get ready for Europe!

26Chris
Richards

First-team

First-team

Richards reveals teammate's advice which settled him in South London

Download your Palace Women's WSL2 digital programme for Ipswich Town!

What to expect from the Easter Sunday Special!

Get ready for Europe!

26ChrisRichards

26Chris
Richards