The footballer Chris Richards has celebrated his unexpected path to becoming the second American to play and win the FA Cup final. The player, originally from Alabama, was key in Crystal Palace’s victory over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, London.
Richards joins Tim Howard, who won the trophy with Manchester United in 2004, as the only Americans to conquer the world’s oldest football competition.
Matt Turner, Richards’ teammate at Crystal Palace and in the United States national team, was a substitute, but he also joins the list of Americans who have tasted FA Cup glory.
It means a lot. I grew up not watching the FA Cup. I’m from Alabama, so they definitely didn’t broadcast it on TV.
Chris Richards
Richards highlighted that this achievement is not only for Americans, but also for children who dream of playing soccer abroad.
Richards was a key player in Crystal Palace’s defense, which conceded only one goal in six matches, on their way to their first major title.
We try to stay focused on each play. In the first 15 minutes we didn’t touch the ball. We just thought about doing our job and letting those up front score one or two goals, and that’s exactly what we did.
Chris Richards
Palace took the lead in the 16th minute with a goal from Eberechi Eze after a quick counterattack.
The result could have been different if Omar Marmoush had converted a penalty in the first half, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved the shot.
I think if we had been told this at the beginning of the season, we wouldn’t have believed it. But it was a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work, a lot of long days at the training ground.
Chris Richards
Victory in the FA Cup secures Palace a place in the Europa League next season. In addition, Richards hopes to be part of the United States national team that will seek to win the Gold Cup this summer.
Let’s win a trophy this summer with the national team, and next season we have big competitions planned, so let’s hope we can continue this streak of a trophy per season.
Chris Richards
Richards highlighted the team’s and the coach’s ambition, which was reflected in the victory.
