A breakout star from Alabama is at the heart of the U.S. men’s national team and to hear him tell it the U.S. is going to have a chance to win the 2026 World Cup.

For older fans of soccer in the United States, the full depth of that sentence might take some time to register. I’ll give you a second to think it through before diving into my recent chat with Chris Richards, the Alabama native who plays professionally for Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Richards joined me for an interview after his impressive performance for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League. He didn’t hold anything back, and Richards made it clear that he has things to prove this preseason for his South London-based club.

“I know what qualities I can bring to a team whenever I get a chance to play, and not too many people can do it regardless if they’re American or not, so I know it’s going to be hard to beat me out,” Richards said.

Richards reports to preseason camp on July 10 with the goal of earning a starting spot with Crystal Palace. He’ll do it beaming with confidence. Injuries held him back last season and forced him to miss the 2022 World Cup. Now fully healthy, Richards showed this summer that he can be a mainstay for any team at any level.

The 23-year-old centerback from Birmingham anchored the U.S. defense in a 3-0 victory against Mexico in the Nations League semifinals. It was a statement game for the U.S., and a career-defining moment for Richards. As an encore, Richards then scored the opening goal against Canada in the Nations League championship game.

The passion and energy Richards displayed for the national team was a highlight of the tournament. After his goal, Richards raced to the crowd in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and grabbed the U.S. crest on the front of his jersey. The message was clear: all for the country.

“For me, it felt like everything just came full circle,” Richards said. “You know, missing the World Cup is probably the worst thing that’s happened to me in my career, and even though the CONCACAF Nations League wasn’t the same caliber as the World Cup, it still for me was like a full-circle moment where I was like, ‘I was meant to be doing this. I should have been in the World Cup.’

“It felt like a way for me to redeem myself.”

After the 2-0 victory against Canada, Richards was asked on the field where he might celebrate the Nations League triumph. “I’m going back to Birmingham,” he said.

My heart soared.

A breakout star of the national team giving a shout-out to Birmingham was no small thing. It felt like validation for Alabama but also for soccer in the U.S.

Back in Alabama after his star turn with the national team, Richards attended a match for hometown team Birmingham Legion. The club honored Richards at halftime with a tribute video and Richards signed autographs for fans. He might be a budding international soccer sensation, but Richards loves his hometown club and its commitment to bringing high-level pro soccer to Alabama.

Legion’s Wednesday night game in June against Loudoun United was a testament to the value that Legion is bringing to Birmingham. Consider this scene. In the club suite with one of the best soccer players in the U.S. was new Legion co-owner Dominique Wilkins, and, curiously, two rock stars from the band GroupLove.

I know what you’re thinking. What kind of food was being served for the party? Fried chicken fingers and cookie cake, of course.

Wilkins told me that he wants to help take Legion “to the next level.” For Richards, Legion’s growth is a major source of pride. He grew up playing soccer in the Birmingham area and attended Hoover High School.

“If you would have told me that Legion was coming to Birmingham 10 years ago I wouldn’t have believed you,” Richards said. “That we have a team like Legion in Birmingham shows that soccer is growing here. I think if the national team comes here they would be treated like hometown heroes.

“It would not only be really big for the U.S. national team, but it would also be really great for Alabama.”

It’s an encouraging sign for the men’s national team that one of its newest stars is from Alabama. U.S. Soccer officials understand its significance, too. The national teams need a permanent presence in Alabama. Soccer is never going to reach its full potential in the U.S. without the American Deep South feeding players into the system. Richards represents a new level of potential.

“It’s great to be a part of it,” Richards said. “We feel like we’re making history. People don’t just talk about the result. People talk about the way we play the game, and how much better we can be, so it’s great to be a part of this history, this culture, this brotherhood.

“It’s really exciting because we’re just now scratching the surface of what we can do. All of our ages are 23-24 years old, so we all know that if we stick together and stay healthy we can be a force to be reckoned with. We can be a soccer powerhouse.”

The national soccer teams represent the power of sports to unite and inspire, and the story of Richards’ success with the U.S. men’s national team is proof that the cultural imprint of soccer in the Deep South is here. I’ll feature more of my interview with Richards in next Tuesday’s newsletter, Joe Goodman’s Sports Happy Hour. Sign up for it at the top of his column. This final perspective from the Richards family about the journey of Chris to the national team captures so much about the growth of soccer in Alabama over the last 15 years.

I always love asking the parents of elite athletes about the developmental years. Ken Richards played basketball at Birmingham-Southern and then professionally in Europe. So many parents these days force their kids into one sport. It’s a mistake. A lot of children burn out early and quit playing sports altogether. Some kids are naturally gifted to excel at one sport over another. That was Chris Richards with soccer and his parents provided him with an opportunity to discover and develop that talent.

Chris says he remembers when he realized soccer was his path. It was at one of Preston Goldfarb’s soccer camps at Birmingham-Southern. Goldfarb was one of Birmingham’s early soccer pioneers and the legacy of his work lives on.

“I think the first time for me watching the national team was in 2010 at the Birmingham-Southern soccer camp,” Richards said. “That sparked my interest. Once I saw that, I said, ‘I want to play for the national team one day.’ When you’re 10 years old, it just takes that one moment.”

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, hope and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.