Team USA’s Chris Richards on Preparing For His First World Cup

Summary

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The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Team USA’s Chris Richards on Preparing for His First World Cup

Date: June 4, 2026
Hosts: Chloe Malle, Chioma Nnadi, Taylor Antrim, Alyssa Hardy
Special Guest: Chris Richards (U.S. Men’s National Team, Crystal Palace FC)

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Run-Through with Vogue, hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi introduce a conversation featuring Vogue deputy editor Taylor Antrim and Alyssa Hardy (Teen Vogue's digital director) with Chris Richards, rising U.S. Men’s National Team star. The discussion centers on Chris’s preparation for his first FIFA World Cup appearance, his recent injury worries, growing up a soccer player in Alabama, his experience navigating European football culture, his love for fashion, and insights into the unique intersection of sports and style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. World Cup Fever at Vogue & Setting the Scene

[19:04 – 21:28]

• Taylor and Alyssa humorously admit they're among the only true soccer fans at Vogue, noting the magazine’s wider enthusiasm for other sports but a surprising lack of soccer diehards.
• They describe pulling together a Vogue summer issue shoot with members of the U.S. Men’s National Team (including Chris Richards), styled by Harry Lambert, and model Iman Hammam, herself a genuine soccer fan.

2. Chris Richards on Injury, Recovery, and Pre-World Cup Emotions

[22:13 – 25:25]

• Chris updates on his ankle injury:

  “It might be a little bit harder getting into some shoes, but for the most part ... it's doing much better. So I should be good for the first game.” (Chris Richards, 22:19)

• Shares anxiety over the injury's timing, especially since something similar kept him out of the previous World Cup.
• Recovery involves 6–7 hours a day in the treatment room—strengthening, compression, and managing swelling.
• Describes the nervous wait for the national team call-up:

  “Regardless of your role with the team … there’s always kind of that question mark … It was a nerve-wracking 12 or so minutes before I got the message.” (Chris Richards, 24:03)

3. The World Cup Mindset

[24:37 – 25:48]

• Despite high-stakes games with renowned clubs, Chris reveals the World Cup feels surreal and will hit home once the team arrives in LA.
• The lead-up friendly against Germany is discussed as the final moment before fully entering “World Cup mode.”

4. From Alabama to the World Stage: Chris’s Sports Journey

[25:50 – 32:15]

• Growing up as a soccer player in Birmingham, Alabama, Chris was an outlier in a culture that prioritized American football and basketball.

• Shared advice from friends and the football team to join them as a kicker or punter, but seasons always overlapped with soccer.

• “You think of American sports culture, you think of basketball, football, baseball... For me, that's what I was looking at. I didn't really have a role model when it came to soccer.” (Chris Richards, 27:14)

• On his father’s (a former basketball pro) initial hesitation and ultimate support for Chris pursuing soccer:

  “...He’s looking at me, he’s like, ‘Man, if that’s your dream, so be it. But I think you should stick with basketball.’ But I was very firm on it.” (Chris Richards, 28:27)

• Chris details tough moments—leaving home at 16, doubters back home (including a club director who told him he was making “the worst decision”), and failed early tryouts.

• “...It was just a matter of me just putting my head down and keep working. ...I've always kind of been the underdog, you know, coming from Birmingham.” (Chris Richards, 31:54)

5. Arriving in Europe & Cultural Transitions

[34:07 – 36:01]

• Chris reflects on his transition to Bayern Munich:

  “Not knowing the language before I got there, not quite understanding how big of a club Bayern Munich was ... it was tough because ... they are the team.” (Chris Richards, 34:29)

• Crystal Palace (London) offered a cosmopolitan environment reminiscent of his home, with a rich tapestry of cultures.

• Emphasis on community engagement, especially in South London:

  “One thing I've always kind of stressed is giving back to the community, regardless of where I am.” (Chris Richards, 35:32)

6. Life as a New Dad

[36:10 – 36:55]

• Chris describes joys and challenges of fatherhood, traveling with a pillow bearing his daughter’s face.
• Touches on personal growth since becoming a father:

  “She’s taught me so much about myself and what it means to be a man.” (Chris Richards, 36:55)

7. The Vogue Fashion Shoot Experience

[36:55 – 38:12]

• Chris was thrilled to be asked, noting his love of fashion and the unique opportunity:

  “When I got the call, I was like, awesome. Me.” (Chris Richards, 37:16)

• Fond recollections of shooting with Iman Hammam, who, as a former soccer player, showed off both her style and skills.

8. Style, Vintage Culture, and Jerseys

[38:13 – 40:44]

• Chris’s vintage clothing passion began early, continuing from thrift shops in Alabama to exploring high fashion in Europe:

  “People want to tell a story with their clothes, and ... it expresses ... a story from the previous owner that you might not even know about.” (Chris Richards, 38:22)

• On jerseys, Chris candidly admits as a kid his only soccer shirts were Cristiano Ronaldo’s—either Man Utd or Real Madrid.

• Basketball and American football jerseys (LeBron, Michael Vick) were staples growing up.

9. Pre-Game Rituals and World Cup Anthems

[41:02 – 42:13]

• Pre-game superstition: does everything left-side first—left sock, left shin guard, etc.—and listens to gospel music before matches.
• On the official World Cup anthem “Lighter” by Jelly Roll:

  “I think it’s cool ... but I want a little bit more rhythm, a little bit more samba-ish. ... the 2010 World Cup song by Shakira was the best one.” (Chris Richards, 41:45)

10. Looking Ahead

[42:13 – 42:35]

• Chris and the hosts express excitement for the U.S. opening match against Paraguay on June 12.
• Taylor Antrim sums up the group’s sentiment:

  “Thank you so much, Chris. Take care of that ankle. Good luck. We need you in the, you know, back three and go USA.” (Taylor Antrim, 42:27)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Doubt and Determination:
  “A director of a soccer club in Birmingham told me, 'Oh, this would be the worst decision of your life... you won't make it.' … I just kept my head down and decided that I wanted to prove them wrong.”
  —Chris Richards [29:19]

• On Fashion and Storytelling:
  “If you can put on an article of clothing and it expresses... you also, you know, might have a story from the previous owner that you might not even know about. I think it just adds an extra layer to it.”
  —Chris Richards [38:22]

• On the U.S. Soccer Mentality:
  “I've always kind of been the underdog, you know, coming from Birmingham … continuing to have the underdog mentality, regardless of what your status is looking at, is probably the biggest thing.”
  —Chris Richards [31:54]

• On the World Cup Stage:
  “It almost doesn't feel real. ...I think it'll really hit us once we hit LA, but for right now ... it just feels like another national team camp.”
  —Chris Richards [25:01]

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Segment Timestamps

• Vogue on Soccer and Fashion: [19:04 – 21:28]
• Chris on Injury & Call-up: [22:13 – 24:37]
• World Cup Mindset & Friendly: [24:37 – 25:48]
• Alabama Upbringing & Early Doubts: [25:50 – 32:15]
• European Experience (Bayern & Palace): [34:07 – 36:01]
• Fatherhood: [36:10 – 36:55]
• Vogue Fashion Shoot & Style: [36:55 – 40:44]
• Pre-Game Rituals & Music: [41:02 – 42:13]
• Closing & Good Luck: [42:13 – 42:35]

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Episode Tone and Takeaways

This episode conveys enthusiasm for both soccer and its intersection with fashion, mixing lighthearted banter, admiration for Chris’s resilience, and genuine curiosity about the culture of American soccer. Chris’s warmth and humility shine as he shares personal stories—overcoming setbacks, embracing a fashion-forward mindset, and finding joy in new fatherhood. Casual, friendly, and insightful, the conversation will resonate with sports fans and style aficionados alike.

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Transcript

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[Run Through Host 1]

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[Chloe Mao]

This is the run through. I'm Chloe Mao.

[Jenna Minati]

And I'm Jenna Minati.

[Chloe Mao]

And today on the POD we have a conversation that I am very excited about between two of our Vogue football fiends, Taylor Antrim and Teen Vogue's Alyssa Hardy and the US Soccer star Chris Richards. The World cup is upon us.

[Chris Richards]

Choma.

[Jenna Minati]

I'm sorry, but US soccer stars? No, I don't know. I think we're going to cross you in the World cup.

[Chloe Mao]

So I think that's probably true. But you know what? I think Germany and France and Spain are going to crush all of us.

[Jenna Minati]

True, true. But like we just, you know, we just had a big, we had just had a big sporting moment here in the uk. Arsenal fans. Oh, I know of which Mondami is one.

[Chloe Mao]

I know he wore a special ed Arsenal kurta. I was very excited.

[Run Through Host 1]

He did.

[Jenna Minati]

He did. Spike Lee is also an Arsenal fan. We had a huge parade. It took over all of London and everybody was watching the UEFA Cup. So it's been pretty much football mania here all the time.

[Chloe Mao]

How does the football song go? We were playing it. Graham did a presentation of the World cup to Arthur's kindergarten class. And this morning he was reading the book to the kids and playing the British football song. How does it go again? Yeah, it's coming home.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah, it's coming home.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah, it's coming. Yeah, exactly. Coming home. It's coming. Okay, well, I can't sing that right now, but I mean for you. But Chris Richards is coming home and he will be. He, we hope, is gonna be playing in the World cup, but he's injured. So it's a very newsy moment for Chris because there's a US team friendly game against Germany this weekend that he won't be playing in, but we then hope he will be playing in the World Cup. And we had a really fun soccer ish shoot in our summer issue featuring a handful of some of our favorite members of the U.S. men's National Team. And we shot it with Iman Haman, who is a huge soccer fan herself. She is Dutch, Moroccan, and so she is a Team Morocco fan. But she also plays soccer on a Brooklyn rec league, which I thought was super charming. And Harry Lambert styled the shoot and it's such a delight. And so that will be. The shoot will be out next week. But we are hearing from Chris today.

[Jenna Minati]

That's so fun. I can't wait to see that.

[Chloe Mao]

I know.

[Jenna Minati]

I hope you've got a shoot coming up with Wemby soon. That's all that's coming through my feed.

[Chloe Mao]

Well, that's very sensitive in here, Choma, because we're in Nick's podcast. Thank you very much.

[Jenna Minati]

But he's the greatest player that may have ever lived.

[Chloe Mao]

I like it. You say it as if he might not be alive. Choma, I want to hear about your gorgeous wellness retreat last week. It looked so fantastic. I was particularly into the axe throwing.

[Jenna Minati]

I know, I know. I think Anna was a bit shocked by the axe throwing.

[Chris Richards]

I know.

[Chloe Mao]

Anna was like, isn't that dangerous?

[Jenna Minati]

I was quite scared. I thought if the ax goes in the wrong direction, we're all screwed. But it is such a thing. Apparently people are ax throwing. Archery was my favorite. It was all part of this. We did an egg and spoon race. It was like super sports day esque.

[Chloe Mao]

That's so fun. Archery in the British countryside is really bringing me back to the animated Disney Robin Hood. So that's exactly what I want.

[Jenna Minati]

Oh, yeah, it was super fun. And it was. Yeah, the Cotswolds are pretty dreamy, and they're especially dreamy when there's a heat wave. So I think we were all kind of relieved to be out in the countryside. And yeah, it was super fun. We had our friends at ALO help us out and it was really cool.

[Chris Richards]

What was.

[Chloe Mao]

What is something you learned from one of the conversations or classes or whatever?

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah, I think one of the things that stayed with me because, you know, I have a really love hate relationship with the word wellness. For me, I'm most passionate about women's health. That for me, I know health isn't a sexy word. And I think wellness came along because health never got good enough pr. So one of the things that stayed with me was the fact that most clinical trials on women weren't done until 1993. So that fact that there's such scant research around women's bodies just really infuriates me.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah.

[Jenna Minati]

So, yeah, that. That was one of the most, I guess the thing that stayed with me the most. But there were. There were a ton of other things. We had amazing sleep experts and as you know, I'm one of the three, 3% of the British population to have an adequate amount of fiber in my diet.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, my gosh. Wow. Margo and I have a conversation that's going to be on the podcast soon. All about the different health and wellness and beauty things that she is trying. And she says fiber is the new protein. That is the thing we should all be focusing on getting enough of. So you're ahead of the curve as always.

[Jenna Minati]

I am. My doctor told me I'm one the first patient I've ever had who has the adequate amount. I think it's called butyrate. There's like a. There's a bacteria in your gut that loves fiber and is an indicator of a high fiber diet. But I've got girl. I work on it. As you know, we've all heard my. I will not bore everyone with my breakfast routine again.

[Chloe Mao]

Choma. Did you meet Michelle Obama?

[Jenna Minati]

I did. She was here for south by Southwest doing a talk for her podcast with her brother, which was. Which was amazing. Delightful. She's hilarious and looked totally chic in head to toe Dre. And we had a really good, very quick chat about that because I was obviously fangirling out. I went backstage afterwards just to say hello, and it Was quite an emotional moment. I think I just said to her, I was just so proud to be. Have lived in America when her and her husband were in office. And I remember that hot November day in 2008 when they won and we were all dancing in the streets. And she was like, we need to bring that energy back. And I was like, yes. And I. And I think we were both quite emotional about it. I think, I think her handlers were like ready to push me along because I was talking her ear off. But she did say she loved Therese and that I should say hello to Julian because I'm interviewing him tomorrow evening.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, fun.

[Jenna Minati]

For what I'm going. I'm traveling to Antwerp for a talk with Julian, which I'm really excited. Krasner, who is the new. Well, recently, not so recently appointed. New.

[Alyssa Hardy]

Ish.

[Jenna Minati]

I guess he had to step into. He had big shoes to fill. So he's still considered.

[Chloe Mao]

He's filling them.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah. He's more than filling them.

[Chloe Mao]

I love his work. I'm so jealous. I love Julian.

[Jenna Minati]

He's also.

[Chloe Mao]

He's so cute and charming.

[Jenna Minati]

He loves you. The first thing that he said on our call was like, oh, I just love that, like, you know, like the likes of Chloe and you guys wear my clothes. And I thought it was like he notices that and I thought that was really lovely. And obviously we. We met. I told him about your. Your. Your biannual trip to the pilgrimage, our religious experience. Yeah, yeah. It was really cool.

[Chloe Mao]

Ch and I make a point to go to the Drew store once a fashion month. Very important.

[Jenna Minati]

We fit it into our. Fit it into the sketch. We make sure. We make sure. But oh my God. Big, big other other big news this week. Dua Lipa and Callum Turner getting married at the same place that my mother and father got married.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah.

[Jenna Minati]

It's actually not far from my home. It's very trendy now for people to get married. I guess it's Marylebone Town hall. So there are pictures of my parents on the steps. My mom wasn't wearing anything like what Dua Lita wore.

[Chloe Mao]

She was inspired by Bianca Jagger.

[Jenna Minati]

No, she bought her wedding dress the day before on Kings Road.

[Chloe Mao]

No way.

[Jenna Minati]

She was a true free spirited 60s gal. So it was a swing in 60s. So the Kings Road was a place to be and she bought it there. But I thought that it was quite cool that I wonder, do you think that Dua Lipa actually channeled Bianca Jagger? Bianca Jagger? Yeah. Do you think that she actually channeled Bianca Jagger?

[Chloe Mao]

It really looks like it.

[Jenna Minati]

I Mean, not a bad person to channel. Like, she kind of looked quite incredible. And it was Schiaparelli Couture, obviously, customs. And she's had so many great moments in Schiaparelli. So it was really no surprise to me that she wore Schiaparelli. And obviously it's a bit of a drum roll for the big event that's happening later in the year. She's getting married. Where is she getting married? In Italy, I think.

[Chloe Mao]

Palermo.

[Jenna Minati]

It'll be interesting to see what she wears for her. I mean, I'm sure she'll have several dresses, but it'd be interesting to see which one of her designer friends she wears for her actual wedding. Maybe Simone Port Jacquemus. She's a friend of the house, and he's so good at designing wedding dresses as well. And it's very her vibe. So let's watch the.

[Chloe Mao]

We're watching. It is such a beautiful time of year in New York. It is such gorgeous weather. Feels very sort of beginning of summer. It's warm, but not too hot. I've been enjoying Central Park. I went to the puppet show in Central Park. I took Alice to see the amazing Batist Saar exhibition at the New York Historical Society of her collection of black dolls that she's collected over her whole life, and then did watercolors of the dolls during COVID And so they're displayed really beautifully. And then I went to our dear friend Jesse Heyman's baby shower. And it was so much fun to be reunited with old and current voguettes alike.

[Jenna Minati]

So fun. It sounds like I love that time of year in New York when the weather's actually temperate, which is like maybe two weeks.

[Chloe Mao]

Speaking of not temperate, the French Open has been such a heat wave. It's been crazy to see these grown men, like, slamming themselves with huge bags of ice, sort of weeping from the heat. And then tomorrow, I'm going to see a new documentary on Rafael Nadal called Rafa. So it's a big, big tennis moment around here.

[Jenna Minati]

I'm going to the French Open on Friday.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, my gosh. Exciting.

[Jenna Minati]

I think it's going to be an interesting set of semi finals, so we'll see. I'm excited. I've never been to the French Open. I've heard it's super chic. La Costa hosting me. It's gonna be really fun.

[Chloe Mao]

I think that's amazing.

[Jenna Minati]

I saw the amazing Deb Haaland magazine story. Congratulations.

[Chloe Mao]

I know. I'm really excited. I'm so thrilled that she won for many reasons. But also because it was a wonderful time to have our story go live. I have been such a fan of. Well, I still think of her as Secretary Haaland cause she was secretary in Biden's administration. But she. I think she is one of the best examples of someone who uses fashion in a really powerful. In a public office. And she incorporates native designs and indigenous jewelry and accessories and pieces into very office appropriate Capitol Hill types of scenarios. Um, anyway, I've been watching her for a long time. I think she's very impressive. And her daughter Soma is this young activist who we've also been watching. And so we photographed Deb and Soma together in her home state of New Mexico.

[Jenna Minati]

Wow, that's super exciting. I also know that this wasn't this week, the week that the CFD finalists were announced. I was so happy to see a few faces I knew on the list, like Claire Sullivan.

[Chloe Mao]

I know when we talked about. So I'm a judge for the first time. I know that you have been a judge many times. And it was really fun to be in that room with the other judges at the CFDA deciding, whittling down 31 runners up to 10 finalists. And immediately when Claire Sullivan was presented, I said, ah, Choma's met dress. I love that dress.

[Jenna Minati]

And ex. Emily. Exvog.com employee Emily Dawn Long.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, I didn't realize that.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah, she used to work on the picture desk. She used to work a researcher.

[Chloe Mao]

I didn't know that. Well, we love to see it. It's a really fun group this year. I think we have such a variety of types of designs and fabrication techniques from artisanal knitting. So I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with and puts together. So that'll be really fun. We have our cocktail party next Wednesday announcing them.

[Jenna Minati]

So fun. What else is going on this week?

[Chloe Mao]

We have the Tribeca Film festival kicks off this weekend and Lisa Macabascal is attending and telling us everything that we should be seeing and taking away from that governor's ball is also this weekend. Hannah is going. She's seeing Lorde and her beloved geese. And obviously big, big deal for Vogue. Tonys are on Sunday evening and.

[Jenna Minati]

Oh, that came around quick.

[Chloe Mao]

I know. And the big debate. Will it be Nathan Lane or John Lithgow for best actor? Choma's holding her breath.

[Jenna Minati]

I'm doing my best to get into theater. I actually have a theater suggestion for anyone who's coming to London for the first time.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, tell us.

[Jenna Minati]

I love Dangerous Liaisons too. That was fab so I've been, I've been slowly ramping up my theater consumption. Yes, I went to say, went to see 1536 and I was, I was originally going to go to the opening night and I because apparently it was like the most major opening night, partly because Margot Robbie is a producer on it, but Quentin Tarantino was there. It was like an insane crowd and so the anticipation was high. But it was absolutely brilliant. It's this new playwright that I think Baz Luhrmann is actually working with called Ava Pickett. And dialogue just, it just sparkles.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh wow. Choma. I haven't heard you that rapturous about a play for a very long time. I hope that it comes to New York or I come to London.

[Jenna Minati]

I think it will.

[Chloe Mao]

I think that's the news in our world today. The run through will be right back with Chris Richards on Big World Cup Fever.

[Chris Richards]

This week on the New Yorker Radio Hour.

[Jenna Minati]

Jack Schlossberg, the Kennedy heir and political influencer who's running for a seat in Congress.

[Chris Richards]

I understand that content creation is a new profession and that it's not synonymous for many people with a quote unquote real job.

[Taylor Antrim]

You have to make an argument in

[Chris Richards]

90 seconds with a lot of complicated information. I'll talk with Jack Schlossberg on the New Yorker Radio Hour from wnyc. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Run Through Host 1]

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[Taylor Antrim]

So, Alyssa Taylor. I'm here with Alyssa Hardy, who's the digital director of Teen Vogue and I'm the deputy editor of Vogue and a sort of frequent co host, guest host on this here program. But the reason we're here is there are actually a lot of sports fans at Vogue. A lot of people like, you know, a lot of Knicks energy right now when super bowl rolls around. Like people are hyped, people are into it. Yeah, there are almost no soccer fans at Vogue.

[Alyssa Hardy]

Devastating.

[Taylor Antrim]

Which has come into like stark relief in this run up to the World cup where it was kind of like Chloe Ma was like, what should we do for the World cup, guys? And I just was kind of looking around like, you know, where are the soccer fans? And at Team Vogue we have a die hard soccer fan.

[Alyssa Hardy]

Die hard soccer fan.

[Chloe Mao]

Yes.

[Alyssa Hardy]

Yeah, I love watching Premier League. I love watching actually all the leagues. But I'm a big Liverpool fan. Huge die hard Liverpool fan.

[Taylor Antrim]

But this thing about there not being any soccer fans of Vogue really surprised me.

[Alyssa Hardy]

And it's weird because it's very fashionable sport.

[Taylor Antrim]

Totally fashionable.

[Alyssa Hardy]

So, you know, I feel like F1 is so fashion adjacent, but like the players look incredible in the tunnel walks. Like it's kind of the same energy as any other sport, maybe more.

[Chris Richards]

Right.

[Taylor Antrim]

And yeah, it's occurring to me that this is actually a terrible introduction to a Vogue podcast about soccer for all you soccer fans out there that are tuning in. But sort of the reason we're here is that part of those discussions with Chloe about, like, what should we do about the World Cup? I work on the print magazine and we pulled together a really fun shoot for the summer issue of Vogue, which is coming out in a couple of weeks. And what we did was we asked six members of the US Men's national team to do a fashion shoot for Us down in Georgia, which is where they were training at the National Training Center. And we got Iman Hammam, who is a wonderful model, but also happens to be, like, a legitimate sports fan. Grew up in Amsterdam playing soccer. Played for a rec league in Brooklyn. And we did this just like, very Vogue confection, which is like these awesome athletes, like, wearing American fashion with Iman and, like, you know, just having fun. But it's. And so it's in the summer issue, and it's coming out in a few weeks. And that's sort of why we're here, because Chris Richards was one of the guys that came along for the shoot. We're recording on Wednesday. This episode is coming out on Thursday, and then on Saturday, it'll be the final round of international friendlies before the World cup starts next week.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah.

[Taylor Antrim]

And now we're so excited. Alyssa, we are about to talk to Chris Richards, who is on the U.S. men's National Team and excited to chat with him.

[Chris Richards]

Hello.

[Taylor Antrim]

Hi, Chris. Welcome to the run through. We're so excited to have you.

[Chris Richards]

Glad to be here.

[Taylor Antrim]

You're talking to the two legitimate soccer fans at Vogue. We were just talking beforehand. There are a lot of sports fans of Vogue, but when you, like, dig deep for the soccer fans, you come up with me and Alyssa. So we're really excited to be here with you and talking with you.

[Chris Richards]

Well, we got the best.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Chris Richards]

Again, thank you all for taking the time out for it.

[Taylor Antrim]

We're so excited for the World cup. And honestly, I'm joking, but, like, the. The ranks of soccer fans of Vogue are swelling by the day because we're all. We've got. All got a lot of World cup energy. So we're really, really psyched.

[Chris Richards]

Amazing.

[Taylor Antrim]

Sorry to start this way, but, like, we all want to know about the ankle. How is the ankle, Chris? Let's start there.

[Chris Richards]

No, it's good. I mean, it might be a little bit harder getting into some shoes, but for the most part, you know, it's. It's doing much better. So I should be good for the first game.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, that's awesome to hear. Okay, so just so everyone knows, like, maybe two weeks ago or something like that, you were playing with your club, which is Crystal palace in London, and you twisted your ankle. And I have to just ask myself, like, three weeks out from the World cup, you suffer an injury like that on the field, what's going through your mind? Are you, like, going crazy internally or are you able to kind of, like, handle an experience like that a little Bit of both.

[Chris Richards]

I almost couldn't believe it because something along the same lines happened right before the last World Cup. Three weeks out, I had a big injury. And so when this happened, I was, I was super nervous, I can't lie. But then I almost forced myself to go back on the pitch and finish the match, even though I probably shouldn't have. But I think for me, it was just a sign where I was like, you know, I have to get through this. Regardless of what the actual injury is, I have to get back on the field. And that kind of, you know, saved my chance of once I woke up.

[Taylor Antrim]

And then what is, what is the rehab and recovery look like? Like, I saw some stuff on social media. I think you were out on the field like today or something like that. So what is the, what does the recovery look like?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, you know, I spend a lot of time in the gym just doing ankle strengthening exercises and a lot of compression, a lot of, you know, trying to massage the swelling out. But I pretty much spend six or seven hours in the, in the treatment room just trying to get the swelling down and trying to ease the pain a little bit. It's been working, but I think it'll be like this probably for the rest of the World Cup. Wow.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah.

[Alyssa Hardy]

So I think something that a lot of people don't realize is how close to the World cup those roster announcements come. They think it's kind of like a shoe in. You're a superstar on the team. I'm wondering for you, what is it like to get that call up?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, I think regardless of your role with the team over X amount of years, I think there's always kind of that question mark of does the culture really see me in that light or am I really this kind of shoe in that people say on social media and so again, it's nerve wracking. Regardless of who you are, it's nerve wracking. And for me, I remember sitting, I was laying on the ground in my living room waiting for the call and it was 6pm, still didn't see a message. And I was like, oh, no, please tell me this doesn't happen. It was just because the coaches were tardy. But regardless, it was a nerve wracking. 12 or so minutes before I got the message.

[Taylor Antrim]

Chris, what are the pre World cup jitters like? I mean, I was thinking about this question and thinking, okay, this is a guy that's played in the FA cup final, you know, early in your career you played for Bayern Munich, which is nuts. Like, that's One of the biggest clubs in the world. And so you've been thrown on big stages in your career. But I just wonder what the World cup feels like. We're, you know, a week out from you guys playing.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, it almost doesn't feel real. It's crazy hearing you today. We're almost a week out because I haven't even thought of it in that light yet. I think it'll really hit us once we hit la, but for right now, you know, we have. We're in Atlanta getting ready to play Germany, and I just feel like another national team camp. But I know once we set foot in la, it'll be a completely different kind of journey from then on out. That's when the World cup really starts. Right.

[Taylor Antrim]

What Chris is referring to is, like, this weekend there's a friendly against Germany. USA plays Germany in Chicago, I think. Is that right?

[Chris Richards]

Correct.

[Jenna Minati]

Right.

[Chris Richards]

Right.

[Taylor Antrim]

So that's like the last, like, warmup friendly before the real action starts next week.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, exactly. It feels like everybody's still kind of holding their breath, waiting for the first steps in la, and then everybody can just exhale and be in the moment and understand that, no, this is. This is the World Cup.

[Taylor Antrim]

That's so exciting.

[Alyssa Hardy]

So you grew up in Alabama. I would love to hear about, like, was it weird to be a soccer player in your town? It's a big football, American football town. What was that dynamic like?

[Chris Richards]

Oh, man, it was so weird. Like, yeah, we probably had, what, three clubs in Birmingham, and we had maybe five, like, I guess, bigger clubs in all of Alabama. So it's a very small community. Everybody knew everybody, but a lot of kids that played soccer were also, like, the kicker for the football team or punter for the football team. And the high school I went to was a huge, huge, huge football school. Cougar High School. And every. Every year, the fall man just come on, play for us for a little bit, you know, and it hurt because, you know, like, all my really good friends were some of the stars on the football team, but I just. It was always. The seasons always overlapped, so I couldn't. I couldn't do both.

[Taylor Antrim]

What age were you when you started?

[Chris Richards]

I was five years old when I started playing soccer.

[Run Through Host 1]

Oh, wow.

[Taylor Antrim]

And so were you on a club team, like, right from the jump when you were that age?

[Chris Richards]

Well, at that age, I was playing, funny enough. I was playing at, like, my. My daycare. Playing in the gym. In the gym.

[Taylor Antrim]

Not a travel team at age 5, is what you're telling.

[Chris Richards]

Not quite. Not quite.

[Alyssa Hardy]

But that is so different from your peers, I'm sure, in the Premier League, where they come up in, up through academies, things like that. Just a difference in being an American playing soccer, for sure, definitely.

[Chris Richards]

I mean, I think when you think of American sports culture, you think of basketball, football, baseball. And I think a lot of kids kind of model themselves after the role models, which are the guys that they see on tv. And so for me, that's, you know, that's what I was looking at. I didn't really have a role model when it came to soccer. And when you see everybody in Europe now, they're playing on the streets with their friends, they're joining academy at the young age, playing in some of the best players in the country or the region, whatever you want to call it. And so my first move to Europe, I kind of felt like I was a step behind just because I didn't have those. Those foundations that a lot of these kids had.

[Taylor Antrim]

Your dad was a basketball player, a college and pro in abroad, right? And you played basketball. So you played basketball and soccer. So tell me a little bit about the choice to go with soccer and to drop basketball and how that went down in the household, in the Richards household.

[Chris Richards]

It was a stressful conversation. My dad is a pretty big guy. I think figuratively and also physically, he's a pretty big guy. So I remember I took a trip to Argentina to play soccer, and I came back from that trip and I remember telling my dad, like, this is all I want to do the rest of my life. I'm gonna play soccer. No, I want to go to college. I want to know, hopefully go to mls.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

And he's looking at me, he's like, man, if that's your dream, so be it. But I think you should stick with basketball. But I was very firm on it. So my parents were very supportive of my dream. But I think. I think they'd also admit that they also questioned it a little bit because, again, we didn't have people to look up to in the soccer world, especially from Birmingham, you know, it's not something that many kids had ever done or dreamed of. So I was kind of, quote, unquote, like, I guess a pioneer, you could say.

[Taylor Antrim]

But that's so wild that, like, you must have just discovered you were really good at it. And, you know, I mean, it's so unusual. I'm thinking of my son, who's 11, and Brooklyn is like a soccer hotbed, and he's on one of these, like, kind of high powered clubs now. And like, it Just feels like there's so much support for a young kid who's interested in soccer. But you're saying that was like, it was a different world that you were growing up in in Alabama?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, completely. I mean, I. Even so I left my family at 16. Right after I turned 16, I moved to Houston, live with the host family. And I remember when I was leaving, a director of a soccer club in Birmingham told me, like, oh, this would be the worst decision of your life. Oh my God, you won't make it. I had no, like, teachers laughing me. I told him, I want to do this for other thing. I had everything, you know, but I just kept my head down and decided that I wanted to prove them wrong. And I think I've done pretty well at that.

[Taylor Antrim]

You certainly have. That's amazing.

[Alyssa Hardy]

It's so interesting because there's so much discourse around men's and women's soccer in the US too. And I always find that to be really an interesting piece of this. Like the women's team, of course they've won World Cups. There is like, you know, kind of a built in structure for, for women's soccer. Did you ever follow that at the time? Like, was that part of your purview?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I remember going to women's national team. They actually had a blue friendly in Birmingham, and I must have been 10, 11 or 12 around that age. And again, like, that was around the time when I even started hearing about the men's national team. So when the women's doctor Tank came to town, I remember going to the game and it was just an amazing atmosphere, you know, understanding that you can play for more than your club, you can play for more than your region or your school, whatever the case is, you can play for your country.

[Taylor Antrim]

I've already mentioned my son William. He's so. He supports Arsenal, sorry to say.

[Chris Richards]

I know, I know, I know.

[Taylor Antrim]

But, you know, tough Saturday because of the Championship league final. But he also sports NYC fc, which I do too. And we're psyched about your teammate Matt Fries being on the team. So big props to him. But I asked William, I told William I was going to talk to you in this podcast, and he was so psyched for me and he was like, please ask him what was the hardest thing you had to get through in your journey to be on the U.S. men's National Team? Was it the injury keeping you out of Qatar 2022, or was there something else in your career that you had to kind of like get through?

[Chris Richards]

For me, I think it was all the setbacks ahead. When you mentioned my injury before the last World Cup, I remember the summer I decided that I only wanted to play soccer. I tried out for SC Dallas, actually, and I didn't make it. And that was the first step that I wanted to take into pursuing my dream, my career. And it didn't work. And so it's little moments like that where it really, looking back, I think it's what made me so mentally tough today. Right. Because, you know, if everything came easy, you know, you wouldn't know how to react when hard times come. So I think it's all the setbacks I've had along the way, whether it was injuries, whether it was, again, coaches telling me I can't do it, whether it was myself not playing games. Starting my first year and a half of Palace, I started four or five games.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

And so it was just, it was really just a matter of me just putting my head down and keep working. And again, I think kind of have this story where I've always kind of been the underdog, you know, coming from Birmingham, everything that's happened and, you know, I think just continuing to have the underdog mentality, regardless of what you, what your status is looking at, is probably the biggest thing.

[Chloe Mao]

We are going to take a short break. We'll be back in a moment.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

I'm Jesse Sepczyk.

[Jenna Minati]

And I'm Shilpa Oskokovic.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

And we're senior Test Kitchen editors at Bon Appetit and the hosts of the Bon Appetit Bake Club podcast.

[Jenna Minati]

Bake Club is Bon Appetit's community of confident, curious bakers.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

We love to bake. Some might even call the two of us obsessive. And we love to talk about all the hows and whys and what didn't works that come with it.

[Jenna Minati]

Every month we publish a recipe on bon appetit.com that introduces a baking concept we think you should know.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

Then you'll go bake. Send us any questions you have and

[Jenna Minati]

we'll get together here on the podcast

[Run Through Host 1]

to talk about the recipe.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

And this month we are making whole lemon bars. Imagine lemon bars, but with just kind of the lemon ness dialed up to kind of like a reckless decibel level.

[Jenna Minati]

Head to ba.com and come and bake along with us.

[Jesse Sepczyk]

Send us your questions, pictures and any thoughts to bakeclubon appetit.com or find us on the substack.

[Jenna Minati]

Join us the first Tuesday of every month as we debrief about our latest

[Jesse Sepczyk]

bake find, Ba Baker Club wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jenna Minati]

Happy baking.

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[Alyssa Hardy]

You know, we're talking about Crystal palace, we're talking about Bayern Munich. Huge teams, really embedded into the communities.

[Jenna Minati]

What?

[Alyssa Hardy]

That's actually my favorite part about soccer. I'm a Liverpool fan. Sorry. But I love the community aspect. I love how embedded the teams are into the places that they're from. What is that like as an American going into these communities and having that kind of pressure?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, I think Germany was a whole different ball game. I think not knowing the language before I got there, not quite understanding how big of a club Bayern Munich was. When I got there, it was tough because, you know, they are what a lot of Europeans look at as a powerhouse, but especially in Germany, you know, they are the team.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

And I've never been at the team before, so it was weird trying to, I guess, embrace and indulge myself into a new culture. But, you know, I think everybody at mine was really welcoming, really understanding. I'm one of the only Americans who's ever played there, so it was, it was a cool dynamic. I mean, again, to kind of be like the pioneer. I mean, we've had guys there. But I was there for four years and it taught me a lot. But I think once I got to palace, that's when I finally felt like I could really embrace and enjoy the new place. And London is a beautiful place to find yourself and to become whoever you want to be. And for me, I think it reminded me a lot of home, especially South London. It was very hard working. It has a ton of cultures that I've really been excited to, to be able to just kind of dive into again. Birmingham is a slower paced place, but it's also very much, in all senses of the word, a black and white place. And so being able to be in South London and see 20, 30 different cultures every time you walk on the street, it's amazing. So one thing I've always kind of stressed is giving back to the community, regardless of where I am. And so when I first got the Palace. That was the first thing I wanted to do, is get back to the community that gives the club, that gives the people at the club so much love.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah.

[Taylor Antrim]

You gave them an FA cup trophy? I believe so. They must be appreciative of that, right?

[Chris Richards]

I hope so. I hope so.

[Taylor Antrim]

Also, you're a new dad. That's awesome. Congratulations. What's that like? Tell us how. I mean, it must kind of suck being in Georgia when your daughter is not with you, I would imagine.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah. Being a girl dad's cool. It's a lot of work. It is a lot of work, I'll say that much. But now my partner, she's really good with our daughter. But, you know, it's been beautiful seeing a human grow from obviously some birth into the little girl she's becoming right now. It's been amazing, and I miss her. I have a pillow with. With her face on it, so that's one thing I bring around when I travel. But she's been a blessing. She's taught me so much. Even though she can't speak, you know, she's just babbling and just being crazy. She's taught me so much about myself and what it means to be a man.

[Taylor Antrim]

That's awesome. I have two kids. My older one's a daughter, so I was a girl dad. So, hey, I wanted to get to the Vogue shoot. This was something really exciting that we got together for the summer issue, which is out in a couple of weeks. As like, a professional athlete, when you get the call from Vogue to do a fashion shoot, what goes through your mind? Are you, like, okay?

[Chris Richards]

I mean, I love fashion, to be fair. So when I got the call, I was like, awesome. Me.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

So I thought. I thought it was really dope.

[Taylor Antrim]

You know, we handpicked the most fashionable members of the U.S. women's National Team, I'll have you know.

[Chris Richards]

So I like that. I like that there's a lot of

[Taylor Antrim]

curation that went into this.

[Chris Richards]

It was amazing.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, that's great. Tell us a little bit about it. Like, what was it like trying on the clothes? And the model, Iman Imam was there, and she's actually a soccer player. She grew up playing soccer in the Netherlands, and she showed us a few things.

[Chris Richards]

Oh, yeah. Both with the ball and without. You know, it was cool to follow her lead. Now, regardless, again, a lot of us, we're really into, like, our fashion and being able to be on the shoot like that and model for, I guess, such an established brand like Vogue, it was amazing. So I know we all Had a lot of fun. It was a few long hours, but again, we didn't mind it because I think a lot of people dream of this opportunity. So we really had a great time with the shoot.

[Taylor Antrim]

Wow. That's awesome. We're really grateful that you did it.

[Alyssa Hardy]

As you said, you seem like you're a fashion guy. We know you are. You're into vintage.

[Chris Richards]

I am. I'm very much in.

[Taylor Antrim]

Tell us about that.

[Chloe Mao]

Yes.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah. I mean, I think I grew up going to places like Salvation army and those kind of places just because, you know, it was cheap. But also, I think one thing I found with vintage clothing is that it tells a story, and I think that's. People want to tell a story with their clothes, and if you can put on article of clothing and it expresses. You also, you know, might have a story from the previous owner that you might not even know about. I think it just adds an extra layer to it. So for me, it's. I love vintage clothing.

[Alyssa Hardy]

Cosine, for sure.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah.

[Taylor Antrim]

So talk to me about jerseys. Did you. Did you grow up wearing jerseys? Because we've talked about your childhood.

[Chris Richards]

So.

[Taylor Antrim]

Okay, so what were you wearing growing up? What? Soccer jerseys were you wearing?

[Chris Richards]

Soccer jerseys. If I'm being 100% honest with you, the only soccer jerseys that I ever had were Cristiano Ronaldo jersey.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, my God.

[Chris Richards]

Manchester United or Real Madrid. Those are the only soccer jerseys I had gone up.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, nice. So. So was it more like basketball and stuff like that?

[Chris Richards]

Basketball in American football? Yeah. My. No, I'm. I'm an Alabama fan. Roll Tide. So I'd have an Alabama jersey, but my mom's family's from Ohio, so we'd have Ohio State jerseys as well.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, nice.

[Chris Richards]

We had every single Cleveland Cavalier LeBron jersey you can think of. I can't think what else had a Michael Vick jersey. I remember I was Michael Vick for.

[Taylor Antrim]

Oh, man.

[Chris Richards]

For Halloween one year. Yeah. I had on shin guards and a Michael Vick jersey. So I'm not sure how that went hand in hand, but we'll go with it.

[Taylor Antrim]

So. But the. The interest in fashion started young, or you mentioned, like, vintage shopping in Alabama, and then, like. So when. When did. When did the bug hit for you with fashion?

[Chris Richards]

I think I always liked it, always loved it, but I don't think I really got to embrace it until I moved to Germany.

[Jenna Minati]

Oh, right.

[Chris Richards]

It was. Yeah. I mean, it's just like a different. You know, I think when you think of Birmingham, you don't really Think of no fashion hotbed per se, but when. When you get to Europe and understand that all these cultures and we had French players, we had Spanish players, we had English players, and we had everything in that dressing room. And you see things that you like, and you see things that you really don't like, but it's a quick way for you to figure out what kind of style you like. And again, me and being an American, I think I brought my own little swag to the dressing room. So it was cool to kind of mix and match.

[Taylor Antrim]

That's awesome. You mentioned Ronaldo. I mean, Ronaldo's playing in this World cup, so there's a chance. I don't think you've ever been on the field against Ronaldo. Is that correct? That's correct, but there's a chance. So what would that be? Like, you're a defender. You're defending against Ronaldo.

[Jenna Minati]

How.

[Taylor Antrim]

How do you do?

[Chris Richards]

I think I do pretty well.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

I think he'll still very much be a handful, but, you know, I think. I think, you know, hopefully I'll get the best of him.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to see that.

[Chris Richards]

Yeah.

[Alyssa Hardy]

That's amazing. So do you have any, like pre game superstitions or rituals?

[Chris Richards]

I think for me, I do everything left but. Or like left side of my body first. So I'll do like my left ankle tape. I'll do like my left sock or left under sock and do my left shin guard. Then like I just. How I've always done it. So that's a weird one. It also like, I also listen to this, this gospel song every time before I go out. And other than that, I mean, those are probably the two really, I guess, super stitch things that I do.

[Taylor Antrim]

I love it.

[Chris Richards]

Really good. Yeah.

[Taylor Antrim]

Is it true that you like country music?

[Chris Richards]

Yeah, I do.

[Taylor Antrim]

Really? So we were all laughing in the Vogue offices about this jelly roll song, which is World cup song.

[Alyssa Hardy]

So very epic.

[Taylor Antrim]

Yeah. Give us your take on this song. I mean, you're. If you're as a country fan, I want to hear from you what you think of. What's it called? It's called Lighter.

[Chris Richards]

Ah, I think. I think it's cool, you know, but I think. I think we've been spoiled with. I think the 2010 World cup song by Shakira was.

[Jenna Minati]

Yeah.

[Chris Richards]

The best one. And so I think every single time you have a World cup come around, everyone's looking at the same kind of vibe as Waka Waka. But I understand it's America. I understand country music. This and that, but I want a little bit more rhythm, a little bit more samba. Ish. I like. I think the same vibe as the Shakira song would have been cool.

[Taylor Antrim]

Well, we're so grateful you spent this half hour with us and, like, we're so excited for the opener on the 12th against Paraguay. I will be there and you're gonna be there in person.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah.

[Jenna Minati]

Come on.

[Chris Richards]

Here we go.

[Run Through Host 1]

Yeah.

[Alyssa Hardy]

I can't wait.

[Jenna Minati]

I'm so excited.

[Run Through Host 1]

Yeah.

[Taylor Antrim]

But thank you so much. Chris. Take care of that ankle. Good luck. We need you in the, you know, back three and go USA Again.

[Chris Richards]

Thank y' all for having me.

[Chloe Mao]

That's it for the run through. See you next week. The run through is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma and Alex John Burns. This episode is engineered and mixed by Pran Bandy.

[Jenna Minati]

From prx.