It’s no NFL or NBA, but the USMNT going as far as the round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 may change the scene for soccer in the country. According to USMNT legend Landon Donovan, cost is a major reason the USMNT misses out on potential talent. Unfortunately, Chris Richards’ mother proved him right.
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“When the economy crashed in 2009, we lost everything and were pinching pennies every week. I remember Chris handing me a letter that said if we didn’t pay his soccer fees, he wouldn’t get to play. I was so embarrassed,” Polymarket Sports quoted Richards’ mother.
26-year-old Richards is one of the few bright spots of the USMNT in the 2026 World Cup. In the 4-1 opening win over Paraguay, he completed 83 out of 83 passes. This set the record for the most passes completed with a 100% accuracy rate in a single World Cup match since data tracking began in 1966. Moreover, he had one of the best passing accuracies from the USMNT this World Cup. But Richards was on the verge of leaving soccer at one point.
🚨 Chris Richards’ mother on paying for football in America:
“When the economy crashed in 2009, we lost everything and were pinching pennies every week. I remember Chris handing me a letter that said if we didn’t pay his soccer fees, he wouldn’t get to play. I was so… pic.twitter.com/RckHJLZHtS
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) July 8, 2026
According to his mother, Carrie Richards, the family lost everything in the 2009 economic downturn. They were failing to pay the coaching fees for Richards’ soccer and were warned that Richards would not be able to play unless they could pay. If that had happened, the USMNT would have lost out on a talent like Richards. As per Donovan, there are many more Richardses that the USMNT is losing out on. Reason? A $50,000 barrier.
“Only 2% of kids who were playing organized soccer in America came from households that made less than $50,000,” Donovan said in an interview with Junior Rodigan. “Think about how many kids you are missing out on in this country because they can’t afford to play the game.”
According to a report by Project Play of the Aspen Institute, US parents spent $1,016 on average on their child’s primary sport in 2024. This was a 46% increase from what it was in 2019. US inflation drove the rise in this cost. In 2024, the average cost of a child playing soccer increased by around 69% compared to 2019.
The $50,000 household-income threshold Donovan cited suggests that families earning below that level are largely priced out of organized youth soccer. This leaves a significant portion of the US population out of the sport. Richards may have come out of the situation, but not everyone can.
