USMNT: The decision that will define Chris Richards career

USMNT prospect Chris Richards is being linked with a move away from Bayern Munich. At 20 years of age, the decision regarding his future will define his career.

The transition from talented young player to established first-team player is extremely challenging. Improvements that players make are not linear. You do not simply step from one level to the next after a certain period of time. Injuries, confidence, moments of inspiration, the light bulb flicks on. These are all factors that can change the trajectory of a player’s career.

At present, the U.S. Men’s National Team features several wonderfully talented young players attempting to break into their respective senior teams. Some are flourishing — Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams. Others are dealing with issues as they struggle to force their way into the respective starting XIs — Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah.

The ultimate goal does not change, however, to be a first-team player and to establish the foundation of your career. In achieving this goal, selecting the right club at which to maximise your development and break into senior football is vital. That is where Chris Richards currently finds himself at.

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The FC Dallas academy graduate spent a 10-day trial at Bayern Munich in May 2018. He was handed a one-year loan deal off the back of that trial and impressed enough that he was signed to a permanent contract halfway through.

After making 29 appearances for the under-19s, Richards has since established himself as a key player for the Bayern reserve team. He made his debut in the fifth match of the 2019/20 season for the reserves and has since played all but one game. Bayern II play in the third tier of German football and are chasing promotion. Richards is so crucial to the team that he was not released for the under-23 USMNT’s recent roster for Olympics qualification.

However, his opportunities in the first team have been limited preseason matches, and having turned 20 earlier this week, there is a growing pressure for Richards to find a team at which he will play regular first-team football in a higher-pressure environment.

Amid this, Bild have reported that several of the biggest teams across Europe are keen on signing the USMNT prospect, including Arsenal and Chelsea. If Richards wanted to leave, he would be able to, for the right price. But his desire to leave must be centred on the need to gain playing time while balanced against selecting the best club for his own investment and personal and professional development.

And based on the way he speaks about Bayern, he sees the German club as the best place to be:

"“My dream has always been to play in Europe, especially at one of the best clubs in Europe, which is Bayern. So I am very excited for it. It’s so professional. Like I said, it is one of the best teams in the world. So they hold themselves to a very high standard, and hopefully I can reciprocate that standard throughout my career here.”"

There is good reason to believe that Bayern is the perfect club to be at. Fellow MLS graduate Alphonso Davies has already usurped David Alaba as the starting left-back. The likes of Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich were all signed at young ages and are not first-team regulars. Bayern are strong developers of talent and are willing to thrust them into the limelight. Can the same be said about Arsenal and Chelsea, for instance? Perhaps not, especially the latter.

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Ultimately, the decision is Richards to make. It is entirely up to him. But make no mistake, where he chooses to play will define the rest of his career, for better or worse.

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