Premier League star smashes 60 year record in World Cup debut with USMNT

It was a historic World Cup debut for Chris Richards.

The United States men’s national team (USMNT) center-back overcame a late fitness issue that kept him out of Crystal Palace‘s UEFA Conference League triumph to make his first ever appearance at a World Cup finals.

Chris Richards’ World Cup debut was a memorable oneCredit: Getty

En route to a historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay for the summer tournament co-hosts, Richards etched his name into the soccer history books after completing 83 of his 83 passes.

This marked the highest number of passes completed with 100 percent accuracy by any player in a World Cup match stemming back to 1966.

In fact, the center-back partnership of Richards and Tim Ream was colossus, with the 38-year-old former Fulham defender registering 23 line-breaking passes during the contest, which is at least eight more than any other player so far at the tournament.

While the sample size is small — just four games — to put it into further perspective, that is the highest total by a defender in a World Cup since Ghana’s John Pantsil against the USA back in 2010 – a match which went to extra time, per Opta.

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But it was Richards’ individual performance – graded a 7/10 by USMNT correspondent for talkSPORT, Ben Jacobs, that earned all the plaudits.

“Chris Richards was f***ing incredible last night. Calm in possession, putting out potential fires, stepping into midfield for a challenge, colossal in the air. One of the best performances I’ve ever seen from an American defender. TOP,” one fan posted to X.

“Chris Richards is such an unbelievable player. Best defender I’ve ever seen play for the US. If palace are ready to cash in I think there are A LOT of top clubs that could use a CB like him,” a second user commented.

“This is absolutely absurd, have yourself a night Chris Richards. Very impressive specially coming off a recent bad ankle injury he picked up while playing for Crystal Palace,” a third added.

“It’s even crazier to realize that he did this in his first match in a few months,” a fourth noted.

Richards overcame injury misery to propel USMNT to glory

The 26-year-old Premier League defender was deemed to be the USMNT’s most important defender in the build-up to the World Cup, which is why there was so much concern surrounding his ankle injury sustained in Palace’s 2-2 draw against Brentford back on May 17.

Richards suffered an ankle injury in Palace’s 2-2 draw against Brentford back in MayCredit: AFP

Richards was stalwart in the USMNT’s 4-1 victory over ParaguayCredit: Getty

At the time, the former U.S. Soccer’s Male Player of the Year revealed he thought his World Cup was over before it even started, sending him flashbacks of missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a leg injury.

“When I did get the diagnosis after the game, my ankle was huge, and I came off in a boot with crutches,” he recalled.

“Once we had the diagnosis, I was like, ‘All right, cool, whatever it takes, I have to make it for this first game.’ I think the first time I really realized that I could be 100 percent for Friday was probably last week.

“It was, ‘Alright, how do I get ready for this game against Paraguay?’ and that’s what I’ve been doing for 24 hours a day. I’ve been doing recovery and been doing whatever it takes to be available for this first game.”

Coming to America

But for Mauricio Pochettino to be unsure of whether Richards would even be fit to play in the first group game, let alone start, to putting in a monstrous defensive display that Paraguay could break down just once in 90 minutes of play is a testament to the defender’s sheer determination to represent his country on the global stage.

“It’s a World Cup, so I’m gonna make myself ready regardless,” Richards said on Wednesday. “I’m feeling good, maybe a little swollen, but I feel good.

“If there’s any time to sacrifice yourself, it’s now.”

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