Midway through the 2016 season, a 26-year-old Ryan Richter found himself at a career crossroads. The right back was in his first year with USL side Bethlehem Steel, a team he joined because of the clear path it provided to MLS via its affiliation with the Philadelphia Union. It had been two years since Richter played in the U.S. top flight, and he wanted to get back there. Over the course of that 2016 season, it became apparent he likely wouldn’t get that chance.



Luckily, he had suitors in the NASL. While they weren’t connected to an MLS setup, they offered a few important things USL did not: more pay, health insurance, and less hesitation about giving minutes to an established veteran. Richter had a wife and a son, making the first two of those factors especially important. Eventually, Richter decided to sign for the NASL’s New York Cosmos in September 2016. He had just turned 27.



Just over a year later, the NASL was put on life support, and...