With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just a week away, The Run-Through invited US Men’s Soccer player Chris Richards to chat with Vogue fútbol fiends Taylor Antrim and Alyssa Hardy about the journey to his first World Cup.
The 26-year-old defender grew up in Hoover, Alabama, a town where soccer reigns supreme. “Everybody knew everybody,” he explains, “and a lot of the kids that played soccer were also the kicker for the football team.” Still, playing professionally was hardly deemed a viable option. “I had teachers laugh at me when I told them I wanna do this for a living,” Richards says. “But I just kept my head down and decided I wanted to prove them wrong. And I think I’ve done pretty well at that.”
Presently sidelined by an ankle injury, Richards has lately been busy doing strength exercises and massaging the swelling down. He’ll be sitting out the final warm-up match against Germany this weekend but is planning to play once the World Cup begins officially. “It feels like everybody’s still kind of holding their breath,” he says.
Richards also chats about finding community through his time playing for Bayern Munich and Crystal Palace. “London is a beautiful place to find yourself,” he says. “[South London] reminded me a lot of home—it’s very hardworking and there are tons of cultures that I’ve been really excited to dive into.” He also credits the development of his personal style to his time abroad, and the influence of his teammates.
Earlier in the episode, Chloe and Chioma catch up after some time apart. Chloe reports on her first time helping to pick the 10 finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and Chioma tells Chloe all about the three-day British Vogue Wellness Retreat at Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds, where she got to participate in conversations about women’s health and engage in activities like axe throwing and archery. Chioma, a wellness enthusiast, was very much in her happy place.
Other important news out of England this week was the wedding of Dua Lipa and Callum Turner at Marylebone Town Hall—the same place where Chioma’s parents wed many years ago! Plus, Chioma met one of her all-time favorite ladies at SXSW London: the Michelle Obama!
