With Chris Richards currently in action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals – where he has helped his nation reach the Round of 16, where they will take on Belgium on Monday evening – the defender is a regular US first-choice international.
The Eagles were last in America over the summer of 2024/25, preparing for the new campaign by visiting Maryland and Florida, welcomed by an ever-growing fanbase both at pre-season fixtures and at events around town and lifting the Stateside Cup.
With success in the Gold Cup last summer, and the World Cup dominating the United States in 2026, the sport is continuing to grow exponentially – and no one knows that better than Richards.
“Football is the quickest growing sport in the US,” Richards told the matchday programme last season. “Everyone at some point in their lift growing up in the US has played, whether it was when you’re four-years-old or at high school to stay in shape.
