Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America - #321: Chris Richards joins the pod

Episode Date: October 4, 2022

Sanjay Sujanthakumar interviewed Chris Richards for Scuffed in a cafe in central London. Enjoy the ambience. They talked about hanging with Jason Sudeikis, the choice to join Patrick Vieira at Palace, looked back at the Bayern Munich experience and discussed whether this national team can help get more Black Americans interested in the sport.Join Scuffed on Patreon for as little as $2 a month: https://www.patreon.com/scuffedPatrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalogue of historic recaps we're working on. Here's what we have so far.#1 Czechoslovakia v USA, 1990, https://www.patreon.com/posts/historic-recap-v-67067301#2 USA v Colombia, 1994, https://www.patreon.com/posts/historic-recap-2-69083229#3 USA v Iran, 1998, https://www.patreon.com/posts/historic-recap-3-70575704#4: Mexico v USA, 2002, https://www.patreon.com/posts/historic-recap-4-72235898 Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffedAlso, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.comAnd check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the SCuff Podcast, where we talk about U.S. soccer. Welcome to a special edition of the SCUF podcast. I'm Sanjay. I'm joined here by Chris Richards in London. Chris, what's going on? What's up? How are you? Doing well.

Great to have you here today. Yeah, thanks for having me. So, first off, it looks like a fun weekend for you. What was it like to hang with Matt Turner and the Ted Lasso cast at the NFL game here in London? Yeah, it was great. You know, I had no idea that they were going to be there. So just being able to meet those guys. that I've seen on TV, and especially after the Emmy last week, it was awesome.

So do you actually watch Ted Lassow, and what are your thoughts on on the show? Yeah, I mean, like me and my mom, we actually first started watching it, like, right when it came out. But then I think it was like one summer when I was home. So that, like, we watched it for like a week and then I was gone. And then she actually came here when I signed and she stayed for like an extra week. And meet her and my brother. We sat around and binge like three, like the two seasons, like. or the two seasons, like, back to back in, like, a day or two.

So it was, like, we couldn't wait to get home to watch it. And so meeting the guys yesterday, like, honestly, I felt a little, like, star-struck. Like, I don't know, it's just weird because it's, like, these, I think one of the coolest things ever is to be in, like, a movie or TV show, because I love watching, especially movies. And so to see these guys, and, like, they were all, like, oh, like, you play at Palace, right? And they were, like, they knew who I was. I was like, oh, this is sick.

Like, this is really cool. And even like Jason Sadekis and Brendan Hunt, Coach Beard, they came out to me in there, like, you know, nice to meet you. Like, you know, we're huge friends of the national team. It was awesome. What was it like to make your Prem debut in the situation that you did at Enfield, trying to protect the point? How did that compare to playing in some of the famous stadiums in Germany as well? Yeah, I think, you know, making my debut in a stadium like Anfield, especially a sold-out stadium was amazing. You know, it was a bit nerve-wracking because, of course, I played it in big stadiums,

but something about Enfield, just kind of the passion that they had, the fans, and, of course, the situation in the game made it a little bit more, made a little bit more, I guess, daunting for me. But I enjoyed it. I think that moment was probably one of the best moments in my career so far, playing in that stadium under those conditions. So right now, how are you doing physically and how close do you think you are to being available for Pallas? Yeah, I'm doing better. I'm doing much better. I'm still about a week and a half or so away from being fully fit,

but everything's pointing in the right direction. Awesome. So how disappointing was it to miss the last three national team camps, and how tough was it to watch the last one in particular and not be able to help the guys? Yeah, of course, with it being a World Cup year, it definitely hurts not to be with the guys. But, you know, it's just kind of like, you know, especially watching this last camp, it was really hurt because it was the one right before the World Cup, And, you know, sadly, we didn't have the greatest of results.

So, you know, I was wishing I was there to have hopefully playing the good performance and solidify, not just my spot for the World Cup, but also solidify us going into the World Cup with two good results. But hopefully with the World Cup coming up, I'll get the call and make up for it then. Yes, speaking of the World Cup, you've had one start with Walker. How difficult do you think it is to build chemistry with the centerback partner? and can it come with the week of training in Qatar before the first game? Yeah, I think the good thing about the national team is that a lot of us have played with each other. So, you know, when I was at FC Dallas, I also – Walker was also there when I first arrived.

So, you know, of course we didn't necessarily play with each other day in and day out ball. So we kind of know how each other play. And I think that's also another good thing about the national team is that you kind of come in and have to adapt straight away. And it's not like guys are playing weekend and week in and out with each other. it's like you get there and you're just kind of put into a team and kind of form to merge. So, I mean, it will definitely be an uphill battle, but it's not something that's impossible. What's the team culture difference like in terms of, appreciate your patient, in terms of playing for clubs like Byron and Huffington,

and then when you get to the national team? I think the national team, because we have so many of the same experiences and probably have played with each other throughout youth national teams and certain camps, we kind of have like this brotherly bond, this kind of unspoken. Even though we may not keep up with each other all year long, like at the club level, we definitely have that bond because like I said, we've been through a lot of the same things. And then when you get to clubs like Hoffenheim and Bayern, it's definitely, especially at Bayern, it's kind of like a doggy dog world because, you know, you're meant to play in every competition. You're, you know, you're playing against guys who are, you know, they're already well-established in their careers.

And so I think with the national team, we're all fighting for the same purpose. It's not like we're trying to, I mean, everybody wants to start, but it's not like we're going to kill each other for it. We're all fighting for the same purpose, which is to, you know, ultimately, you know, win a World Cup. Definitely. So why did this summer feel like the right time to leave Germany? Yeah.

You know, being in a club like Byron and also being in a club like Hoffenheim, they definitely taught me a lot about myself and my career and what I need to do to get to the next level. And when I got the call from Palace and just kind of spoke to Vieira and heard his, heard his plans for me, I mean, it was kind of like a match made in heaven. Even though I haven't started a game yet this year or a league game yet this year, it's a process.

And I'm only 22, so it's not the end of the world. Of course, I'd want to play more than I have, but it's a process that I have a five-year contract here. So, you know, the Prem is the best league in the world and playing against the best every week. So, you know, why not test myself here? And it won't just help me, but also help me when I go to the national team and help the team.

Yes, he touched on that. Next question, you know, when you were deciding on Pallas, how did you weigh the risk reward with that move? Did you expect to get minutes sooner than on the World Cup? You kind of just touched on it, but yeah. Yeah, I think, I mean, I knew how, I know how it is with incoming centerbacks, especially with, you know, this team with Pallas. They had a really good defense last year,

so I knew it was going to be a tough back. battle, but I'm not afraid of competition. Of course, I wish I have played more before the World Cup, but also, you know, I'm staying sharp. I'm staying, for the most part, fit. So I know that if I do the right things in training and the right things, especially at the World Cup, I know that afterwards I'll have a good chance of getting a lot more minutes. Yeah, so you just touched on this a bit as well, but, you know, in terms of your thoughts on the Byron experience, what would you tell the 18-year-old version of yourself when you were just? deciding about the next step or another kid in those shoes now.

Yeah, that's a tough one. I think, you know, Byron is definitely not known for their academy or youth development, but also I wouldn't have done it in a different way. You know, I think it feels my brother maybe. I would tell them to maybe look for a different club when it comes to the youth development aspect, because, you know, like I said, playing at Byron, most of these guys that you're fighting with our well-established players who are the top of their game. And so, you know, I probably tell myself just to realize that, you know,

if you're not playing straight away at Bayern, it's not such a bad thing. That there's definitely worst places to be. And I think at first when I got there, I had a bit of a confidence issue because I went from playing weekend and week out with, you know, FC Dallas, like Unite teens, to, you know, getting in the first-te team training at Bayern and not doing well and then playing Unite teams. and I think that probably the biggest thing I tell myself just to keep pushing and stay confident.

Aside from when you're hanging out with Matt Turner and the Ted Lassow crew, are you able to catch up with any of the other national team guys in London? And who are you closest to you on the national team? Yeah, I've actually caught up with Jedi a few times. I went to his house to see his baby. And, yeah, I mean, I love Jedi. I think me and Jedi are pretty close,

especially when it comes to the camps we're really close I'm also pretty close to Mark McKenzie because we've been through the U-20 World Cup together and a few camps before that but honestly like I said the national team we're all like really close with each other even though we may not speak day in and day out

it's like when we come to camp it's like you know like a family reunion we're all catching up and laughing and having a good time but I think those two guys are probably the ones I'm the closest to if I could say that what about the Dallas guys do you a special bond with anybody who's come through with Dallas? Yeah, it's more of like the guys that played in the academy with. So like Thomas Roberts,

I'm really, we stay in touch a lot, Cameron Lacey, those two guys, you know, we stay in contact a lot throughout, no, whatever we're doing, whether it's college or pro, we've always stayed in touch. What was it like growing up in Alabama playing soccer in terms of, you know, the pressures for young athletes there to play different sport and the sporting culture is like there. What was that like coming up in Dama? Definitely felt like the odd man out. Like he said, there was a lot of pressure to play other sports, especially football. And especially with kind of like my athleticism and stature, I was kind of, you know, I didn't grow until I was a little bit older. Like once I left Alabama, but still I was, I was really athletic. So I was kind of always questioned like, why didn't I end up playing football?

Especially me being like a black kid playing soccer. It was kind of like one of those things where they were like, uh, like it was like a weird, it was a weird dynamic. And so, you know, I grew up around every sport. I was good at every sport for the most part. Like, I could pick it up pretty, pretty easily. But for some reason, I just fell in love with soccer at a young age. And no matter what happened, it was just always the sport that stuck with me. So I know you were nice in basketball especially. I think Wes had said something like he could have been in the NFL or playing college football if he had stuck with football.

So, you know, I've already been. you could have gone on the court? I feel like, I think I could have been a decent college basketball player. I don't know if I could have made it to the league. I think, I don't know, maybe I didn't love it as much. I think if I would have really put my all into it and have only focused on basketball, I could have done really well, but I don't know if I could have made it to the league, because those guys are crazy.

They're like six, six seven point guards. I don't know if I could have played in there. But I think I could have been a good D1 prospect. I think you're being modest. No, because I know what it takes to get to the professional level in basketball, so I don't want to take anything away from those guys, but I think it'd be like, I'd say a good D1 prospect. Do you think about and or talk about with any teammates,

the opportunity to elevate soccer in the African-American community to the level that sports like basketball and football are at? By having kids tune into the World Cup and seeing how many black players are on this team, do you guys realize the opportunity you have to elevate the sport and elevate support for the national team among the black community. Yeah, I think, like you said, you know, basketball and football are a little bit more elevated in our community, and I think it's because it's so accessible, and they see guys that look like them on TV all the time.

And so I think that, you know, we talk about a lot with the national team how a lot of us are from African-American descent, and, you know, it's probably the first time it's ever been like this. And so, you know, we want to make sure that we do well and represent each other well at the World Cup, because, you know, if we had more kids that, if we had more guys that looked like us growing up on TV, we probably would have had a lot more friends who played the game and played the sport. So we know that if we represent each other well at the World Cup, and if we represent not just our country, but our community and where we came from well, that we're bound to have more kids that look like us eventually or hopefully deciding to decide to play soccer.

So I'm going to put this one bluntly. Yeah. Are you going to start the World Cup? Yes, I will. I don't want that to come off as cocky, but I want to come up as confident because I know that what I have to bring to the team, I know that not many people have it. And so I'm really looking forward to it. And like I said, I see myself starting at the World Cup. Okay, we've got a few more listener questions to you guys too. Appreciate your time here. So how difficult was it going to Germany and learning the language? He is in Deutsch yet.

Has stood in Deutsch for Lauren. No, no, it's kind of not good Deutsch, maybe. Yeah, at first it was, of course, it was really tough because I come from, no, I come from Alabama, you know, it's not a very big place, and then you're coming to a major European city like Munich. It's definitely a game changer, and not just coming to a European city like Munich,

but playing for a team like Bayern Munich, it was definitely a big learning curve for me. I'm a simple person, I think, and so coming to a place where I knew nobody, didn't know the language, didn't know how to get around. I was living now in a dorm with 40 other kids ranging from 13 to 18. It was definitely a big change for me. But, you know, I'm glad I did it because, of course, I grew as a soccer player, but I think I grew most as a person when I made that move. So people talk about your athleticism a lot. how do you rate yourself

athletically and how much your athletic performance numbers discussed at the club level and the national team? Yeah, I think because I grew up around so many sports that I'm, I'd say a bit more athletic than a good majority of soccer players

and again, I don't know what I'd call off as cocky, but it's just kind of the reality is that I grew up playing a lot of sports at a pretty decent level, so I'm kind of have different types of movements than just the typical soccer player. No, athleticism is definitely, it's talked about, but it's not the main aspect of club and national team discussions, because of course you see players like Sucho Blisketz, who has little to none athleticism, but it's so technical on the ball. So I think it's definitely an aspect that's talked about, but it's not necessarily focused on.

It's good to have it. It's better to have an athletic player in some times rather than an athletic player. but I try not to focus too much. I know that I have good athleticism, so I try to focus more in the technical side of the game, and I think that's something that I can continue to work on. And this is a bit of a timely question now. How do you, or players in general,

prepare for the World Cup in the thick of club campaigns? And this is a unique one, right, coming up in November. But is there a balance that struck about, you know, being conscious of injuries? Are you extra careful? Yeah, I think it's, It's a tough one because, like you said, we're in the thick of the club season, and, of course, we want to win as many games and play as hard as possible with the club,

but then it's kind of like in the back of our minds. We have a game, or we have a World Cup in November, which is the biggest thing possible. And it's only, no, it's once every four years. So it's kind of like, you know, do, I guess it's a hard dynamic because you don't know if, you want to be able to play every game with their club team and you want to give 100% but also you know that you want to stay injury free before the World Cup so that when you're there you're flying so like you said like I said it's a weird dynamic but also you know you just have to trust in your body and trust in in your game that you can go hard for a club and country um and wrapping up here uh in terms of your aerial duel you know ability and winning goals in the air um how did you improve that percentage in the last couple years

specific things to be done to work on that part of the game? I think for me it's, you know, using my body more. I think growing up, you know, especially playing in Alabama, like I said, a lot of these reps were guys who had never watched the soccer game in their lives. So if you use any type of, you know, elbow or arm extension, they were definitely calling a foul. And then once you get to the grown men level, it's like, okay, they don't, like they don't care, you know, you have to use your arms and you have to protect yourself.

So yeah, I think it's just, you know, being able to use your body, your shoulders, your arms to, to, A, knock somebody off balance, or B, to kind of just protect yourself and sometimes elevate yourself in the air. So I think that's probably the biggest thing, is using my body more rather than just jumping straight up and down. Just out of curiosity, when were you first able to dunk? I was first able to dunk at 16. I think I could have done it at 15, but I just didn't think it was possible. and I remember being in the gym at my high school in Houston, and someone's like, bro, you can 100% dunk. Just go for it. All right, you know, whatever.

And I did it and just slammed it down. And I was like, I called my dad straight away. I was like, I just dunked for the first time. It was an amazing feeling. I swear, it felt like I won the lottery. It was sick. But, yeah, at 16, it was my first time. Anything you think we missed on that you want the fans to hear,

in terms of the build-up to the World Cup and where you're at right now? Anything you wish we talked about? I think you hit everything right on the, around the head, you know. I'm just, I'm ready for the World Cup to come around. I'm ready for November. Awesome, Chris. Thanks so much for your time, man. Really appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks for having me.