_The Stars and Stripes_ take on defending champions Mexico at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas at midnight tonight (00:00 BST kick-off) – live on Premier Sports 2 in the United Kingdom – seeking an eighth Gold Cup title.
The two countries have dominated the Gold Cup since its inception in 1991, with the USA having reached 13 of the tournament’s 18 finals (winning seven titles in total), and Mexico having made it to 12 (winning nine times so far). In Final meetings between the two teams, Mexico have claimed victory on five occasions out of seven.
Richards has enjoyed a fine tournament at centre-back for the USA, scoring the winner against Saudi Arabia in the group stages and earning his 30th senior cap in the semi-final win over Guatemala, and says that his team’s improved form was sparked by an increased fight within the team and a desire to react to disappointing results in the CONCACAF Nations League in March.
"You have to be able to fight," the Palace centre-back said ahead of Sunday night’s Final. "You have to be competitive and be intense in every game.
“I think, within the last year or so, we may have lost that because of how easy CONCACAF games had kind of come to us... It's not to blame anybody, but I think March was the straw that broke the camel's back. I think that was a real chance for us to look in the mirror and ask each other 'What are we doing?'
"I think maybe we lost our way in the last year and became too friendly and nice to teams. We want to be the guys who, if you want to beat us, you have to earn it. We have to show teams that we're not anyone to mess with, whatever it takes. We stand up for each other. That's something that we should never compromise.”