Chris Richards and Justin Che have more than the Hoffenheim encounter with Arminia Bielefeld to look forward to this weekend. Like millions of Americans around the world, the Texas duo are very excited for Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Everyone probably knows that the Super Bowl is the biggest event in the United States,” said Richards, on loan from Bayern Munich. bundesliga.com. “Whether it’s the halftime show, when they bring in crazy guests, or the game in general, I think that’s a big part of American culture.”
As for the potential winner of the contest at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Che – currently on loan to Hoffenheim from Richards’ former club FC Dallas – is emerging as the competition’s favourite.
“I personally think the Rams are going to win, but this season the Bengals are on a short shooting streak,” he said. “So I think it’s going to be a good game, a pretty even game.”
Richards then drew parallels between Hoffenheim – one of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season‘s surprise contenders for a top-four finish – and Super Bowl underdogs Cincinnati.
“I guess they compare to Hoffenheim in some way,” the six-time USMNT defender explained. “They bring a lot of guys to big clubs around the world. You can definitely make that comparison.”
Incidentally, Hoffenheim has entered into a partnership agreement with football club FC Cincinnati. It was a similar arrangement that brought Richards and more recently Che from FC Dallas, via Bayern, to Hoffenheim.
Look: Justin Che – The next FC Dallas graduate in the Bundesliga
Suffice to say, neither player has looked back since crossing the pond to the promised land of the Bundesliga.
“The Bundesliga is a league I’ve always dreamed of playing in, and now I’m working on it and saying that I’ve achieved one of my big dreams,” Che enthused.
“It was amazing,” said Richards, three years older than Che at 21. “A lot of hard work, an ongoing battle every week and something I’m really looking forward to. I’m happy to have reached this career milestone.”
Look: Chris Richards – Hoffenheim at home
An ambitious defender with 32 Bundesliga appearances to his name since making his Bayern debut in June 2020, Richards is also a man of ideas.
“If the Bundesliga starts [having half-time shows]know it comes from me first,” he said with a smile.
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