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USMNT's Chris Richards Delivers 'Nasty' Message to Teammates

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Manuel Meza Cienfuegos | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 4:48 PM ET

The USMNT obtained a 2-1 victory on Tuesday in a friendly match against Australia. A brace from Haji Wright was sufficient to overturn the advantage that the rival team had, courtesy of a goal from Jordan Bos.

This victory represented the last game of the October international break for the team led by Mauricio Pochettino, who will regroup next month to face Paraguay and Uruguay on Nov. 15 and Nov. 18, respectively.

Things have not gone so well for Team USA, and Pochettino has been trying to turn his squad into a more aggressive one offensively.

Before the match against Australia, the Crystal Palace central defender, Chris Richards, spoke about the current situation of the USMNT and sent a strong and clear message to his teammates: an invitation to be more "nasty."

Richards Urges USMNT to Abandon the 'Pretty Way'

In an interview with Fox Sports, Richards expressed his feelings about representing the United States, but at the same time urged his teammates not to lose focus on the field.

"For me, it's always been an honor to come in with the national team, and I know for everybody who's here, they've also felt that way," Richards said. "But I think when it comes to on the field, we kind of have to become hard (expletive)."

"For too long, we kind of knew we were outplaying teams, but we're trying to do it the pretty way. And no, it's not always pretty. So I think making sure that you're able to be nasty when you have to be, I think that's something that we kind of try to adapt to our game," he added.

The 25-year-old defender played all 90 minutes against both Ecuador (1-1) and Australia, so he appears to play an important role under the direction of Pochettino.

The central defender has played 11 games this season with the Premier League club and is also competing in the UEFA Conference League. Barring injury, he'll surely be a key piece for the USMNT in the 2026 World Cup.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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