With the World Cup coming to the United States this summer, American fans all across the country get the chance to take in the most popular sport outside of this country and folks from around the globe are coming to watch.
Most excitingly though, Team USA is as equipped to make a run as it has been, perhaps in the history of the World Cup, and the team proved why in their opening game this past Friday night.
Dominating a very capable Paraguay squad by a score of 4-1, the American effort was led in part by Hoover native, Chris Richards.
Richards — who plays during the season for English Premier League squad Crystal Palace — started on the defensive line and had an absolutely brilliant performance. In fact, by completing all 83 of his passing attempts, he accomplished a feat not seen since 1966 with the most passes with 100% accuracy by any player in the World Cup.
Richards entered the tournament with an injury and many unsure of whether he would be able to play, but he answered that question and much more with a gutsy performance on Friday night.
To state the obvious, soccer is not the most popular sport in the country and even less so in the South. However, any southerner who was not already invested in the success of Team USA has someone to root for in Richards, and as the tournament goes on, he will continue to not only make the country proud, but his home state as well.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
