United States men's national team and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards praised the latest wave of Americans moving to the Premier League and the Championship, noting that the leagues are tapping "into our [American] pipeline."
Over the summer, 19-year-old Real Salt Lake midfielder Zavier Gozo joined Richards in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, meanwhile the likes of Max Arfsten, Jack McGlynn, Sebastian Berhalter, Luca Bombino and Rokas Pukstas moved to the Championship.
"They see that we have some hardworking guys and some guys with talent, and so they kind of tapped into our pipeline and brought players over," said the defender, sitting alongside Gozo for a USMNT media event, on Thursday. "For us, it's very exciting because I think the Prem, or at least the English Football League in general, is the best setup in the world, and it's the toughest."
Richards is training with the USMNT at the start of the international break, and he highlighted that fans in England are appreciating American players with each passing season.
"You see people in the crowds wearing U.S. jerseys now. So I think it's really cool to have seen the kind of the development and the respect that us Americans have gotten over the last few years in the Premier League," Richards said. "It's not just myself and Zavier. It's every person who's come before us and who's still playing there in the Prem."
Gozo, meanwhile, said he was excited about claiming his first-ever opportunity with the senior national team at 19.
"It's been amazing. Obviously, just from knowing that I'm getting called up to being here and being with everyone, and obviously players that I've looked up to for a while now, so I feel like it's been kind of surreal," he said. "But also, obviously, I want to play with the national team and compete for a spot here too. So I'm trying to learn, but also be competitive."
Gozo is one of 13 call-ups that could claim a national team debut in the fall international break that includes friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada.
With numerous key figures being given a rest, no player within the latest roster is over the age of 30.
With a youthful core training in the Atlanta area at U.S. Soccer's new National Training Center, the national team will soon head to Orlando and kick off the international break with a friendly against Peru this Saturday at Inter.co Stadium.
They'll then face Chile on Sep. 29, Mexico on Oct. 3, and Canada on Oct. 6.