How USMNT's Chris Richards' persistence at Crystal Palace cemented his status as starter for club and country

The American center back has kept his focus to get to where he is now, and that's starting for the USMNT at the Copa America

Twelve months ago, Chris Richards looked like he would be heading to the summer's Copa America in much the same position as so many of his U.S. teammates. He would be one of the many vaunted names who were "playing" in Europe's top five leagues, but only if you put a couple of chunky air quotes over that word.

Richards had carved out a role for himself on the fringes of Crystal Palace, certainly not a player Roy Hodgson was afraid of turning to, but there was a settled back four and a manager who was set in his (broadly effective) ways. It looked like the 24-year-old, considered one of the brightest of the bright young things that Gregg Berhalter is building around, was going to be heading into the summer a little undercooked -- a little unsure as to where his best spot for the long term might be, both on and off the pitch.

As Richards himself acknowledged last month, his eye was wondering, doubtless recalling the success he had had when trading Bayern Munich for a temporary spell at Hoffenheim. He was not short of suitors. "This time last year, a lot of Bundesliga and Ligue 1 teams came for Chris," his agent Alan Redmond tells CBS Sports. "He had a big decision to make. Stay and fight -- because he didn't play a lot in his first season -- or go on a loan or permanent."