Chris Richards, the defender for Crystal Palace, has been named the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year for 2025. This is the first time the 25-year-old Birmingham, Alabama native has received the honor, which recognizes his outstanding performance for both club and country throughout the year.

Richards played in 12 matches for the U.S. Men's National Team in 2025, starting in 11 of them. He played every game at center back for the USMNT on their way to the 2025 Gold Cup Final. He also scored twice in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and was named to the tournament's Best XI. In 2025, Richards logged the most games (12) and minutes (1004) of his career in a calendar year.

With Crystal Palace, Richards has become a key player in the English Premier League. He started and played the full 90 minutes in both of Crystal Palace's domestic trophy wins: the FA Cup and the Community Shield.

Richards expressed his gratitude for the award, stating, "It means a lot to me to join a very prestigious list of players. This has been a big year, and we have an even bigger year coming up. This shows how well we've done as a team and the momentum we are building towards the World Cup".

The announcement was made during an interview with Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Richards was surprised with the news during the show. "It was sick. I see Pat all the time on College GameDay. It was cool for him to announce this on his show and to give a shoutout,” Richards added.

Richards secured the award with 48.6 percent of the weighted total, surpassing fellow nominees Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Matt Freese, and Malik Tillman. The voting process involves input from various stakeholders, including National Team coaches, USMNT players who earned a cap in 2025, members of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, professional league head coaches and sporting directors, select media members, and former players and administrators.

This marks the second consecutive year a defender has won the award, following Antonee Robinson's win in 2024. Prior to this, the last time two defenders won the award consecutively was in 1994 and 1995, when Marcelo Balboa and Alexi Lalas were honored.

The U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award was first presented in 1984. Chris Richards is the 28th player to receive the accolade.