Tag: Caleb Wiley

USMNT left back Wiley joins Chelsea from Atlanta United

The 19-year-old is expected to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on loan this season

Atlanta United has confirmed the transfer of left back Caleb Wiley to Premier League power Chelsea.

The Blues paid a reported £8.5 million ($11m) fee for the 19-year-old, who is expected to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on loan for the upcoming season.

Wiley will join up with Chelsea following his participation in the Olympics with the United States.

“Caleb epitomizes the pathway that we envisioned when we started this club,” Atlanta United vice president and technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a club release.

“Born and raised in Atlanta, he joined our Academy at 11 years old, played for ATL UTD 2 and went on to earn every step in his path up to signing as a Homegrown. Over that time, he debuted for the U.S. men’s national team and was chosen to represent our country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Now he can continue his career at a top club in Europe. We wish Caleb the best in this next challenge of his career and look forward to following his journey.”

Wiley made his pro debut for Atlanta United 2 in 2020 when he was just 15 years old, and made the jump to the first team as a regular in 2022.

Overall, Wiley made 85 appearances for Atlanta’s first team in all competitions, recording six goals and nine assists.

Wiley has earned two caps for the USMNT so far, making his debut in April 2023. He has also represented the U.S. at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels.

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USYNT makes hard work out of Fiji in second U-20 World Cup win

Better late than never, right?

The U.S. U-20 national team is proving that late is better than never.

The United States notched a second straight U-20 World Cup win, but were held for over an hour by group minnows Fiji before eventually running out 3-0 victors.

Thanks to Jonathan Gómez thundering home a stoppage-time winner, the U.S. opened their group stage slate with a dramatic 1-0 win over Ecuador. It wasn’t quite that late against Fiji, but what seemed to be the least-challenging game in the group turned into a tall task thanks to some wayward finishing and Fiji goalkeeper Aydin Ashaz Mustahib’s saves.

The U.S. peppered his goal with 31 shots, but despite them camping out in and around the Fiji penalty area, the game was still scoreless after 65 minutes.

Mikey Varas’ side kept plugging away though, and Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna produced an opportunistic breakthrough in traffic.

The floodgates were open, but the goal rush didn’t arrive until the game’s final moments, and it took something special. Cade Cowell decided to see if he could match Gómez on the highlight reel, unleashing a vicious, bending shot from 20 yards in the 88th minute.

Underlining this team’s apparent penchant for scoring very late, Caleb Wiley — like Luna, a substitute on the day — popped up nine minutes into second-half stoppage time to tap home a third after Brandan Craig’s free kick bounced off the post.

While the win doesn’t guarantee the U.S. first place in Group B just yet, it does mean they have a place somewhere in the round of 16. The U.S. will face Slovakia in their group finale on May 26, and will claim the top spot with a draw or win.

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The top young USMNT players and prospects in 2023

The stars of today and tomorrow are ready to lead the USMNT to a bright future

The U.S. men’s national team should have a bright future ahead.

With one of the youngest teams at the World Cup, the USMNT got out of its group and qualified for the last 16 in Qatar — a substantial achievement after missing the 2018 tournament entirely.

Now the focus shifts to the main event: the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

Several of the 2022 roster’s best young players should be back and right in their prime in 2026, and they should be joined by a host of younger players just starting to make their way in the game now.

Below are some of the USMNT’s best young players. For the purposes of this list, the player must be born in 2003 or later.

Atlanta United’s Almada, Wiley are both appointment viewing

These Atlanta kids might be good

There are at least two good reasons to watch Atlanta United every week right now.

The Five Stripes demolished the Portland Timbers 5-1 on Saturday, with Caleb Wiley and Thiago Almada both putting on stellar performances.

First up was 18-year-old homegrown winger Wiley, who followed up last week’s brace with another goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Yes, it took some help from Portland a) being caught with everyone in the Atlanta half following a set piece and b) for the retreating Timbers defenders to engage in some kind of Three Stooges routine by running into one another.

But nonetheless, Wiley made the smart run early, turning on the jets with the hope that someone would be able to find him. Almada is one of the very best players in MLS at finding someone, and from there Wiley just calmly dispatched with his breakaway, giving Aljaž Ivačič no chance to make a stop.

That brings us to Almada. The World Cup winner opened the season by scoring two ridiculous goals against the San Jose Earthquakes, and followed that up with an assist in each of Atlanta’s next two games. Pretty good, right? The performance of an active Argentine international in MLS.

Well, sadly for the Timbers, Almada decided to up the ante against them. He stood over a 32-yard free kick in the 47th minute, with Luiz Araújo the left-footed option to compliment him.

However, few people really believed anyone other than Almada was going to strike the ball. The odds are still long, even for a player of his level, but Almada is in incredible form at the moment.

The result? A shot into the furthest reaches of the far corner, kissing the post and setting off delirium at the Benz.

There’s not a lot Wiley or anyone else could do to top that, but the kid sure did try. With Portland stretched in the 59th minute, Wiley received a crossfield ball and served up an absolute dime of a cross for Giorgos Giakoumakis, with the new striker making no mistake to notch his first MLS goal.

Almada’s battle with Wiley continued tit-for-tat, much to the chagrin of the visitors. Atlanta made it 4-0 in the 75th minute, with Almada casually scooping the ball from midfield in behind for Araújo to finish things off. A big win was officially a rout.

Portland pulled one back, but Almada wouldn’t let them leave without one more highlight-reel moment. This time, the 21-year-old received a pass from Derrick Etienne Jr., spinning around Larrys Mabiala before passing the ball out of the reach of a helpless Ivačič.

You should go ahead and schedule a window to watch Atlanta United at 7:30pm Eastern next Saturday, when they head north to face the Columbus Crew.

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