HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - As the United States competes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the state of Alabama is represented on the United States National Soccer team by Birmingham native Chris Richards. Richards grew up in Hoover, Alabama and attended Hoover High school navigating his way to becoming a professional Soccer player before getting the nod to join the National Team. “I think it’s been a very surreal and also emotional experience,” Chris Richards Mother Carrie Richardson said.