This is an opinion column.

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The World Cup is coming to the U.S. next summer, and the groundwork for Team USA is happening this month in the Gold Cup.

On Thursday night, a star was born and he’s from Alabama.

Hoover native Chris Richards is a starting center back for the United States Men’s National Team. I’ve written about his remarkable journey extensively over the past several years. He was already a key player for the U.S., but this summer he’s turning into a leader who is reshaping the team’s identity.

I’m talking about pure, uncut, down-home Alabama toughness.

What does that mean? Put it this way.

You’ll never see Richards take a dive or a flop in a soccer match.

The U.S. played Saudi Arabia in Austin, Texas, on Thursday. It was the U.S.’s second game of the group stage and the Americans needed a victory to advance to the knockout stage. The Saudis were rough and rugged, but Richards and the U.S. came in with their fists clenched.

Richards not only prevented a couple goals with perfectly timed tackles, but also scored the game winner off a set piece.

Who needs Christian Pulisic?

Alabama soccer is not only on map, but it’s leading the Stars and Stripes into the World Cup. It’s a much-needed plot twist after so much discord and whining throughout the team over the last few years.

I said this team needed some dogs after that embarrassing loss to Switzerland, and the U.S. is beginning to play with some desire and fearlessness.

About time.

Next up for Team USA is a final Gold Cup group-stage game against Haiti. The knockout rounds of the Gold Cup begin next weekend with the tournament quarterfinals. New coach Mauricio Pochettino should pin the captain’s band onto Richards’ arm and never take it off.

The U.S. needed some leaders, and this is turning into his team. Richards told me two years ago that the U.S. could be a soccer powerhouse. I believe him, and he’s doing his best to make that happen this summer.

To compete with the best in the world, the American soccer identity needs to be a reflection of the heart of the country. The U.S. doesn’t need to have the flair of the Brazilians to be great. The U.S. doesn’t need to match the skill of the Spanish team to beat Spain.

The U.S. can win with the things that make this country exceptional: unrelenting determination, hard work, strength, speed, diversity and desire.

The U.S. will crash out of the World Cup if it tries to be polished and smooth like the top European teams. Let Italy wear their fancy suits. Let Germany drive their fancy cars. Give me a U.S. team that wears cut off jeans shorts and drinks Coors Light. That’s the team that will inspire a country ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

This will be a controversial opinion, but the U.S. doesn’t desperately need Christian Pulisic leading from the front in order to advance deep into the World Cup.

He’s a good player, and he can have a place on this team, but he’s not a leader and he doesn’t want to be. A leader would be with this team this summer.

Mark this down. The heart of the USMNT after this Gold Cup will be formed by players like Richards, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna and Sebastian Berhalter.

Adams is the mainstay. Tillman is a tornado. Luna and Berhalter have been playing like maniacs. Richards is a born leader. The Saudis thought they could push the Americans around because the Saudis read the scouting report and it said the U.S. had gone soft.

The Saudis were wrong.

I was wrong.

These Americans can still win a fight.

Pulisic is taking this summer off to rest his body. He’ll need to earn his way back on the team. As for Gio Reyna, he had his chance. He blew it. The U.S. doesn’t need him around. He’s a potential team cancer and the U.S. can’t risk its team culture by allowing him into the fold after this summer.

The U.S. doesn’t need a generation of soccer players made of gold. It can win with iron and steel.

In soccer, as in life, the ball finds energy. That’s exactly what happened when Richards slotted himself into the box with a perfectly timed run off a free kick by teammate Berhalter. It was a great pass, and Richards did the rest with a skillful, sliding half-volley. The Saudi goalkeeper had no chance.

Earlier in the game, Richards saved a goal after one of his teammates, Alex Freeman, found himself on the wrong foot during a Saudi attack.

The son of retired NFL and Virginia Tech receiver Antonio Freeman, Alex is a promising young defender, but he was fooled badly during the first half by a Saudi build up. Richards saved a sure goal with a long sprint and perfectly timed sliding block.

He bounced up and U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese thanked Richards for saving the day.

Richards remained focused, looking to prepare his team for the next fight.

It was the look of a new Captain America with a style that’s all Alabama.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”