Ryan Richter (born April 12, 1989) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

former player and current assistant coach for

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

in MLS.

Youth and college

Richter played soccer at William Tennent High School in

Warminster, Pennsylvania Warminster Township (also referred to as Warminster) is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formally established in 1711. The township is 13.7 miles north of Philadelphia and had a population of 32,682 according to the 201 ...

where he was a three-year starter. He was elected as team captain and MVP for both his Junior and Senior years. At William Tennent, Richter attained

honor roll An honors student or honor student is a student recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their coursework at school. United States In the US, honors students may refer to: # Students recognized for their academic achievement on list ...

status for all four years, he was also a three-year starter on the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team as well as being a

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team. After high school, Richter attended

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

where he continued to play soccer. At La Salle, he was named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, and Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2010 season. He was also named Atlantic 10 Sportsman of the Year in 2010 as well as First-Team Scholar All America. Richter was named Philadelphia Soccer Six Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010, leading the city in points and goals both years. He is the second player from the La Salle

Explorers Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

to be drafted into the MLS after Cesidio Colasante. Richter racked up 28 goals and 13 assists during his time with the Explorers. During his college years, Richter played for the

Ocean City Nor'easters Ocean City Nor'easters is an American soccer team based in Ocean City, New Jersey. Founded in 1996, the team currently plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays their home games at Carey Stadium wh ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Club career

On January 18, 2011, Richter was drafted as the 5th overall pick in the 1st round of the

2011 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft is a secondary draft that was held by Major League Soccer on January 18, 2011. The draft consisted of three rounds with each of the 18 MLS clubs participating. The return of the Supplemental Draft after a two-year h ...

. After a successful preseason trial, he signed with the club on March 1, 2011. Richter was sent on a one-game loan to the Union's USL Pro affiliate Harrisburg City Islanders in June 2011; he made his professional debut for them on June 4, in a game against

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

. On July 21, 2011, Richter made his Union debut against Everton On August 24, 2011 Richter scored his first career goal for the Philadelphia Union against the Harrisburg City Islanders. The goal, assisted by Justin Mapp, came in the 49th minute. On January 19, 2012, Philadelphia declined his 2012 contract option and Richter was released. Richter trialled with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Suppo ...

during February and March 2012.

Charleston Battery

Richter signed with USL Pro team

on March 27, 2012. In 2012, Richter helped the Charleston Battery capture the 2012 USL PRO Championship.

Toronto FC

He signed with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

on March 25, 2013. Richter made his debut for Toronto on April 13, in a 1–1 draw against Philadelphia, he came on as a first half sub for

Darel Russell Darel Francis Roy G. Russell (born 22 October 1980) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. Russell began his career with Norwich City in 1997 and played 147 times for the Canaries before joining Stoke City in 2003. He was ...

who sustained an injury. After spending most of the 2014 season on loan with NASL club Ottawa Fury FC, Richter joined them permanently on January 28, 2015.

Bethlehem Steel FC

In 2016, Richter was transferred back to the

organization to play for the newly formed

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

club, Bethlehem Steel FC. Richter would be named the team's first captain, and would go on to be joint leading goal scorer for the 2016 season. Prior to the season's end, Richter was transferred to NASL club New York Cosmos.

New York Cosmos

Richter made his debut for the Cosmos in a 0–2 victory over the Carolina Railhawks.

Coaching career

Following the 2017 season, Richter retired from the professional game to help coach the

academy. In January 2022, Richter was promoted to assistant coach to

Jim Curtin Jim Curtin (born June 23, 1979) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. He spent most of his playing career with the Chicago Fire. Youth and col ...

with the

first team.

Honors

Ottawa Fury

* NASL Fall Championship 2015

Notes

:A. The club was known as the Ocean City Barons through 2009.

References

External links

La Salle bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, Ryan 1989 births Living people American soccer players American expatriate soccer players La Salle Explorers men's soccer players Ocean City Nor'easters players Philadelphia Union players Penn FC players Charleston Battery players Toronto FC players Ottawa Fury FC players Philadelphia Union II players New York Cosmos (2010) players Association football defenders Soccer players from Pennsylvania Expatriate soccer players in Canada Philadelphia Union draft picks USL League Two players USL Championship players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players