FC Dallas academy product Chris Richards continues to make strides at Bayern Munich, and the center back is impressing head coach Hansi Flick during his limited minutes.
"Richards absolutely deserves the minutes he has got," Flick said, per a recent ESPN story.
Richards, a 20-year-old US youth international, has appeared in one match this season for the reigning Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League winners. He logged 17 minutes in Bayern’s league-opening 8-0 romp of FC Schalke 04, and then was on the bench for last weekend’s setback against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
The defender featured most prominently last year for FC Bayern Munich II, though came off the bench for a late-season match against SC Freiburg. Now, Richards is hoping to carve out a greater role alongside established center backs David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule after loan speculation has surrounded him given the talent logjam.
Richards originally moved to Bayern in January 2019 for a transfer fee that could reach a reported $5 million if certain performance-based metrics are met. He’s featured up through the US U-23 national team, though increased Bayern minutes could see him vault up the senior-team depth chart.
