Richards’ made his 10th consecutive Premier League start for Palace in our last competitive outing against Ipswich – recording a fifth clean sheet in that spell – following the departure of loanee Trevoh Chalobah back to Chelsea.
Lining up regularly alongside fellow centre-backs Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, Richards noted: “We complement each other and it makes us a special unit.
“Max is a straight runner: he’s insanely fast. Marc is amazing on the ball – he’s a great defender but we also say he has a striker’s feet.
“And I’m a great defender – I like to get stuck in and win balls, win headers. Those qualities really connect with each other and combine well. If someone isn’t on their game, the other two are picking them up.
“And we drive each other to get better whether it’s in the weight room, in training or on the pitch. We’re always looking at each other saying: ‘Ah, he did this many, let me try and do one more’.”
Whilst the international break was a challenging one for the United States, Richards and his teammates enjoyed a more prosperous training camp in Marbella beforehand – one which the defender feels will stand his team in good stead for the all-important weeks ahead.
“Most of all we were in Marbella for some meaningful training before our next game,” Richards said. “It was a chance to reset the building blocks for the final months of our season.
“This Palace group is one of the most closely bonded groups during the time I‘ve been here.”
### Match Details
**Fulham v Crystal Palace**