Crystal Palace FC's first-ever major European adventure is underway, as we battle to win the UEFA Conference League. Find out how you can join us on our journey.

European Tour

## Born in the USA

> After a remarkable two-year journey from Alabama to Bayern Munich, Chris Richards fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moved to the Premier League with Crystal Palace in 2022.

Born in Alabama, USA, Richards began his career near Houston before joining F.C. Dallas’ Academy and earning a professional contract there.

He moved to Houston and then Dallas aged 16 – both over 600 miles from his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where his parents still live – and initially lived alone with a host family. He then made the even larger jump of joining Bayern Munich aged 18, where he learnt fluent German and made his senior debut shortly after signing.

From here Richards’ rise was swift: he made his senior debut in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, his professional debut with Bayern Munich II in 2019, and his full Bayern debut in June 2020. A few months later he featured as a substitute in the German side’s DFL-Supercup win over Borussia Dortmund.

The young defender went on to represent Bayern in the Bundesliga and Champions League before joining 1899 Hoffenheim on loan in 2021. He has played a total of 82 professional matches.

Richards began his international career early, too, competing with the US Under-20s to win the CONCACAF U20 Championship aged 18. His performances at this level earned him a senior debut in November 2020, coming on as a substitute against Panama. Richards has since amassed seven further caps.

He made his debut for the Eagles at Anfield as a second-half substitute in August 2022. Richards went on to make his first start for the club, after a leg injury, in January 2023 in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Selhurst Park.

Commenting on his first start he said: “It was worth the wait! Being able to make it \[my first Premier League start\] at home, especially in a game like tonight, was amazing."

His performances against Manchester United home and away, along with keeping a clean sheet against Newcastle United, saw him win the club's Player of the Month award in January 2023.

Richards' first domestic season in red and blue ended with 10 appearances in total, however he also managed to score his first international goal in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League against Canada to guide the United States to a 2-0 win.

The 2023/24 campaign saw Richards establish more of a place in the side, playing multiple roles as a centre-back, defensive midfielder and even as a right-back. He racked up 30 appearances in total, and scored his first goal against Burnley in a 3-0 win at Selhurst Park in February 2024.

Richards also found CONCACAF Nations League success once more, winning the title again in a 2-0 win over Mexico in March 2024. He was also recognised for his exceptional work with the Palace for Life Foundation - winning the PFA Community Champion award.

In 2024/25, Richards made 32 appearances across all competitions - six of which were in the FA Cup, where he played every single minute on the way to making history in the final against Manchester City.

2020

IFFHS Men's World Youth Team

January 2023

Crystal Palace Player of the Month

2023/24

PFA Community Champion

Richards

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Appearances

Goals

Richards reflects on Mostar

Richards reflects on 100th Palace appearance

CPFC x SunExpress aircraft livery

Chris Richards Previews Fulham

The best of our Defenders | Brighton (H)

Chris speaks on victory against Brentford

Match Highlights: Crystal Palace 1-1 Millwall

The Full 90: Crystal Palace v Millwall | Palace TV+

Chris speaks on win against Millwall

Richards reflects on victory at Villa Park

Chris speaks on tough game against Nottingham Forest

Chris speaks on solid performance against Chelsea

Richards on the final game at Anfield 

Fa Cup Final | Chris Richards & Matt Turner | Post Match Interview

Richards praises team spirit

Goals Inside Box

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Right Foot

Left Foot

Shots

Shots on target

Hit woodwork

Penalties taken

Penalties scored

Touches

Touches in opposition box

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Interceptions

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Recoveries

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Duels won

Clearances

Minutes

Attempted passes

Successful passes

Chances created

Crosses

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Season

Games

**Dean Henderson** and **Adam Wharton** have both been called up by England for the Three Lions’ pair of friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley Stadium later this month.

The duo – who both started England’s last fixture, a 2-0 win in Albania in November which sealed a perfect World Cup qualifying record – have both been named among Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for the pair of warm-up matches.

The Three Lions will continue their preparations towards this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup with matches against two other nations who will be heading to North America for the competition this summer.

England will first host Uruguay on Friday, 27th March (19:45 GMT) at Wembley, before taking on Japan on Tuesday 31st March (19:45 BST) at the same ground.

For England Under-21s, meanwhile, **Romain Esse** – currently on loan at Coventry City in the Championship – has been recalled to Lee Carsley's 23-man squad for two UEFA U21 EURO qualifiers against Andorra and Moldova.

The Young Lions resume their campaign to reach the 2027 EURO Finals in Albania and Serbia, having won five from five in their qualifying group stage so far, and will start with a trip to play Andorra on Friday (18:30 GMT) at the Estadi National in Andorra la Vella, before hosting Moldova next Tuesday (31st, 19:00 GMT) at Carrow Road.

Whilst the Three Lions have already confirmed their place at the finals, it’s a huge week for Wales and Northern Ireland as they aim to join their neighbours in North America.

Drawn in the same European play-off section, both sides have called upon Palace players.

Wales, who face Bosnia & Herzegovina at home in their semi-final on Thursday (19:45 GMT), have included forward **Brennan Johnson** in their squad.

Johnson has already represented Cymru at the finals and will be looking to do so again this tear.

The winner of that tie, will play the winner of Italy against Northern Ireland in the final the following Tuesday.

**Justin Devenny** will be looking to win his 11th cap for the Green and White Army in Bergamo (19:45 GMT) with Northern Ireland away from home in the semi-final. 

The Palace midfielder is once again included in Michael O'Neill's squad, with Northern Ireland looking to reach the finals for the first time since 1986.

Eagles duo **Daniel Muñoz** and **Jefferson Lerma** are once again both included in the Colombia squad.

The South Americans have already qualified for the World Cup finals this summer, but are in action with two friendlies over the next week in the USA as they prepare for the tournament.

After facing Croatia on Thursday (23:30 GMT) they then take on France the following Sunday (21:00 BST).

That fixture could see the pair come up against Palace vice-captain **Maxence Lacroix.** Lacroix was not named in the initial 26-man squad, but has been called up by Les Bleus – for the first time at senior level – as a replacement for the injured William Saliba.

The 25-year-old will thus link up with the France side for two games, the meeting with Colombia following a game against Brazil at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Thursday (26th March, 20:00 GMT).

His fellow defender **Jaydee Canvot** could also be pulling on a *Les Bleus* shirt, as he is included in their Under-21 squad for an Under-21 European Championship qualifying double-header against Luxembourg and Iceland.

The in-form **Ismaïla Sarr** will be back international action in the March window.

He is included in Senegal’s squad for a pair of friendlies against Peru (Saturday, 16:00 GMT) in the Stade de France in Paris, and Gambia (Tuesday 31st March, 20:00 BST) in Dakar.

Senegal have already qualified for the World Cup finals this summer and will face France, Norway plus an additional qualifier in Group I.

Ivory Coast international **Evann Guessand** is back in their squad for a pair of friendly matches on English soil.

His team face South Korea in Milton Keynes at Stadium MK on Saturday (14:00 GMT) before then heading over to Liverpool and the Hill Dickinson Stadium to take on World Cup-bound Scotland the following Tuesday (20:30 BST).

With only a few months left until they co-host the biggest international tournament on the planet, Mauricio Pochettino’s USA ramp up preparations with a pair of friendlies against top opposition.

And Palace’s **Chris Richards** will once again feature – part of a 27-man squad. The USA face Belgium on Saturday (19:30 GMT) in Atlanta. They then take on former European champions Portugal on Tuesday evening (Wednesday 00:00 BST kick-off) in the same city.

Following this double header USA will only have two more fixtures before beginning their World Cup campaign against Paraguay.

His fellow defender **Chadi Riad** is part of the Morocco squad for the upcoming international window.

The newly-crowned AFCON champions face Ecuador in a friendly on Friday (20:15 GMT) in Madrid. They will then face Paraguay in Lens the following Tuesday (20:00 BST).

**Jørgen Strand Larsen** could make his first appearance for Norway since becoming a Crystal Palace player in the upcoming window.

He was called up to the Landslaget side for two friendlies. First up Norway travel to face Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday (19:45 GMT).

Then on Tuesday evening (17:00 BST) they host Switzerland. Strand Larsen has 24 caps and four goals to date at senior level for his country.

Japan take on both Scotland and England in UK-based friendlies over the window, with midfielder **Daichi Kamada** in their squad.

The four-time Asian Cup winners travel to Hampden Park on Saturday (17:00 GMT) before then travelling south to Wembley the following Tuesday (19:45 BST), as Kamada returns to the scene of Palace’s FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT | Here is the list of players called up for the matches against Serbia and Egypt.<br><br>ℹ️ More information: <a href="https://t.co/i3TfohSUwj">https://t.co/i3TfohSUwj</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosEspa%C3%B1a?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosEspaña</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/cJc10E7INa">pic.twitter.com/cJc10E7INa</a></p>&mdash; Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpainIsFootball/status/2034949553607131487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And finally, **Yéremy Pino** has been included in a 27-man squad for Spain’s upcoming fixtures.

The reigning European Champions host Serbia on Friday night (20:00 GMT) in Villarreal. Egypt are their next opponents the following Tuesday (20:00 GMT) in Cornellà de Llobregat.

Spain were originally set to face South American Champions Argentina in the Finalissima during this window, only for the game in Qatar to be cancelled due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

Pino scored his fourth goal for Spain back in the October window during a 2-0 win over Georgia, his first international strike since joining the Eagles.

*You can keep up to date with all the international call-ups and the action throughout the break on **[cpfc.co.uk](http://cpfc.co.uk)**, social media and the Official Crystal Palace App.*

### **Fixture details**

### **England – Wharton & Henderson**

**England v Uruguay**

- Friday, 27th March
- 19:45 GMT
- Wembley Stadium
- Friendly

**England v Japan**

- Tuesday, 31st March
- 19:45 BST
- Wembley Stadium
- Friendly

### **Wales – Johnson**

**Wales v Bosnia & Herzegovina**

- Thursday, 26th March
- 19:45 GMT 
- Cardiff City Stadium 
- FIFA World Cup qualifier, European pathway A

### **Northern Ireland – Devenny**

**Northern Ireland v Italy** 

- Thursday, 26th March
- 19:45 GMT 
- Gewiss Stadium
- FIFA World Cup qualifier, European pathway A

### **Colombia – Lerma & Muñoz**

**Colombia v Croatia** 

- Thursday, 26th March 
- 23:30 GMT 
- Camping World Stadium
- Friendly

**Colombia v France** 

- Sunday, 29th March 
- 21:00 BST
- Northwest Stadium
- Friendly

### **France – Lacroix**

**Brazil v France** 

- Thursday, 26th March
- 20:00 GMT
- Gillette Stadium 
- Friendly

**Colombia v France** 

- Sunday, 29th March 
- 21:00 BST
- Northwest Stadium
- Friendly

### **Ivory Coast – Guessand**

**Ivory Coast v South Korea** 

- Saturday, 28th March
- 14:00 GMT
- Stadium MK
- Friendly

**Scotland v Ivory Coast** 

- Tuesday, 31st March
- 19:45 BST
- Hill Dickinson Stadium
- Friendly

### **Japan – Kamada**

**Scotland v Japan**

- Saturday, 28th March
- 17:00 GMT
- Hampden Park
- Friendly

**England v Japan** 

- Tuesday, 31st March
- 19:45 BST 
- Wembley
- Friendly

### **Morocco – Riad**

**Morocco v Ecuador** 

- Friday, 27th March
- 20:15 GMT
- Metropolitano Stadium
- Friendly

**Morocco v Paraguay** 

- Tuesday, 31st March
- 20:00 BST
- Stade Bollaert-Delelis
- Friendly

### **Norway – Strand Larsen**

**Netherlands v Norway** 

- Friday, 27th March 
- 19:45 GMT 
- Johan Cruyff Arena
- Friendly

**Norway v Switzerland** 

- Tuesday, 31st March 
- 17:00 BST
- Ullevaal Stadion
- Friendly

### **Senegal – Sarr**

**Senegal v Peru**

- Saturday, 28th March 
- 16:00 GMT
- Stade de France 
- Friendly

**Senegal v Gambia** 

- Tuesday, 31st March 
- 20:00 BST
- Diamniadio Olympic Stadium
- Friendly

### **Spain – Pino**

**Spain v Serbia** 

- Friday, 27th March 
- 21:00 GMT
- Estadio de la Ceramica
- Friendly

**Spain v Egypt** 

- Tuesday, 31st March 
- 20:00 BST
- RCDE Stadium
- Friendly

### **USA – Richards**

**USA v Belgium** 

- Saturday, 28th March 
- 19:30 GMT
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Friendly

**USA v Portugal** 

- Wednesday, 1st April
- 00:00 BST  
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Friendly

### **England Under-21s – Esse**

**Andorra U21 v England U21** 

- Friday, 27th March
- 18:30 GMT
- U21 European Championship qualifier

**England U21 v Moldova U21** 

- Tuesday, 31st March
- 19:00 BST
- U21 European Championship qualifier

### **France Under-21s – Canvot**

**Luxembourg U21 v France U21** 

- Thursday, 26th March
- 18:30 GMT
- U21 European Championship qualifier

**France U21 v Iceland U21**

- Monday, 30th March 
- 18:00 GMT
- U21 European Championship qualifier

As many as 15 senior Crystal Palace players could be in action for their respective nations over the next fortnight in the March international window.

March internationals: 16 Eagles set for international duties 

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The gap marks [the sixth-longest in the club’s history](https://x.com/SoCpfc/status/2034006714278941148), following the 105-day pause in the Covid-afflicted 2019/20 season; 44-day gap across November and December 2022, with the mid-season World Cup break, and 28-day pause in September of the same season, following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen; and 23-day break in March 2021.

But Oliver Glasner – speaking immediately after Thursday’s win in Cyprus – is already planning for a busy season run-in ahead.

With the prospect of another record-breaking season in the Premier League, and a European trophy, to play for, the Palace Manager said after the game: “I will go home to Austria, relaxing in the mountains at the weekend – and then, prepare for Fiorentina. 

“I never made the second step before the first one, because then it's not the best thing to do. Fiorentina is a very traditional team, great team in Italy, and that's what we are now looking forward to and preparing, 

“We want the best outcome, but it's not just in the Conference League – we're still in a very good situation in the Premier League. We're doing better and better, so that's why we're really looking forward to the two months we have to play.”

It is now about really making the best of this three weeks

Glasner added: “We are looking forward. It is now about really making the best of this three weeks, because our next competitive game is against Fiorentina at Selhurst Park.

“We will have a few days off here, and many of players will go to their national teams, and then we will prepare and have a friendly to stay in the rhythm. 

“I expect Eddie Nketiah back [after the international break], so everybody will help us.

“Then, it will be a very tight schedule until the end of the season – and hopefully our European journey continues.”

Between Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win away at AEK Larnaca and their next competitive fixture, at home at Fiorentina – in the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively – there is a gap of 21 days, a rarity in this busiest of seasons.

Glasner on plans for Palace’s three-week fixture break

AEK Larnaca v Crystal Palace (2026-03-19)

It may have taken well over 210 minutes of football, but ultimately Palace prevailed against a Larnaca side who had only conceded once in the competition before the tie.  

Ismaïla Sarr scored his fourth and fifth European goals of the season to secure a place in the last eight. 

Hughes, who brought stability to the midfield after coming on as a substitute, admitted it wasn't Palace's prettiest win of the season. 

But with last season's FA Cup triumph still fresh in memory, he knows the only requirement in cup competitions is progressing to the next round.

"We did it the hard way, as usual," he said after the win. "But ultimately, getting through was the most important thing. 

"I bet it was entertaining much for a lot of the neutral fans, but I think our quality shone through in the end. 

"It could have been a lot easier on the night, but again, we got through.

"We would prefer it not to be like that, but like I keep mentioning, ultimately getting through is the most important thing. They're not an easy team to play against. Look at their league record in the Conference League – they'd conceded just one goal, in the 93rd minute.

"I think that says it all about how well-oiled they are as a defensive unit. We had to be patient and we got there in the end."

A couple of lads said he's [Sarr] phenomenal. He's so underrated

Whilst it was a committed team display with every player in a Palace shirt contributing, once again it was Sarr who made the difference in front of goal.

"We're just speaking about this in the changing room," Hughes said. "A couple of lads said he's [Sarr] phenomenal. He's so underrated.

"Not only in our team I think, but in football in general. What he produces week in, week out, over a number of years now. It's been incredible really.

"I'd say he's probably one of the first names on the team to shoot for us. He's such a humble guy and ultimately that's the main thing. The quality he's got, it's brilliant."

With Palace now turning attentions to a glamourous European two legged tie against former Italian champions, Hughes believes the European journey has again highlighted the outstanding team spirit Palace have.

"I always speak highly of this group of players and that's not just a cliché answer," added Hughes.

"It's a very close-knit group. Everyone gets on with each other. There's no real bad eggs so to speak. 

"I think that's been a big part of why we've been successful."

With two-and-a-half week without a fixture, and a few well-earned days off ahead, Hughes added: "We're old enough and wise enough to be professional as well. We'll obviously have a programme when we've got the days off.

"We'll be fully focused for when we come back and making sure that we're ready to go."

Will Hughes believes Palace's quality shone through in the end after the Eagles managed to get past AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Conference League last 16 last week.

Club

Club

March internationals: 16 Eagles set for international duties

Glasner on plans for Palace’s three-week fixture break

Hughes on Palace quality & 'underrated' teammate

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26Chris
Richards

Club

Club

March internationals: 16 Eagles set for international duties

Glasner on plans for Palace’s three-week fixture break

Hughes on Palace quality & 'underrated' teammate

Shop Palace Shirts

26ChrisRichards

26Chris
Richards