- Richards injury concerns squashed
- The USMNT with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay
- Richards incredible pass rate
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards had a stand out performance in the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) first World Cup game with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
The USMNT team took part in their first World Cup game for group D on Friday 12 June with Richards in the starting lineup.
It was previously uncertain whether the 26-year-old would be able to start in Mauricio Pochettino’s side for the highly anticipated first match after the ankle injury he sustained against Brentford in May.
The injury kept him on the bench for Palace’s Conference League final and saw him unable to participate in USA’s pre-tournament warm up matches against Senegal and Germany.
Historic Passing Rate by Richards
According to reports from Opta, Richards completed all 83 passes he attempted during Friday’s match. This makes history as the most passes with a 100 percent accuracy rate by any player in a World Cup match since 1966.
The defender now has 37 caps and 3 goals for the USMNT, and has even worn the captain’s armband on occasions. As a pivotal player in their backline he always puts in a shift when playing in the US shirt.
“We’re not here to take part”
As hosts the USMNT will be hoping to have an impressive campaign, and with Richards as their core defensive asset it is likely he will play a huge part in their performance.
The Palace defender took to social media after the victory posting: “We’re not here to take part” expressing the team’s determination to have a successful run in the tournament on home soil.
The US will next face Australia on Friday 19 June at 8pm (BST) before playing Türkiye on Friday 26 June 3am (BST) and are highly likely to finish top of their group which would see them face a third-placed team. They have not made it past the Round of 16 since 2002 when they lost 1-0 to Germany in the Quarter-finals.
