Caleb Wiley’s first professional goal was a storybook moment.
It was a Sunday in Atlanta, and supporters buzzed around Mercedes-Benz Stadium ready for the start of the 2022 MLS season. Atlanta United was hosting Sporting Kansas City for the home opener. Anticipation grew as the start of a new season kicked off.
And the match didn’t disappoint. About 67,523 in attendance witnessed a strong 3-1 win for the 5-Stripes.
They also witnessed a historic moment for one of their own.
Minutes after coming into the match, his first team debut, Wiley scored. As he was congratulated by teammates, behind him fullback Andrew Gutman pointed to Wiley, as if to say “Look at him, he’s yours,” allowing the 17-year-old a spotlight on the grand stage.
Wiley met the moment with humility and an understanding of where he came from. He formed his hands into the shape of a heart, lifting it toward the roaring stands. Then, he blew a kiss to the crowd and raised his arms toward the closed roof at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He gave his love to the city that raised him.
“It just shows how much love I have for this city and this club,” Wiley said after the match. “They’ve given me so much, so it’s just a way of giving back. It was a huge, special moment for me to do it in front of these amazing fans, friends, family. So it was just special.”
The goal was legendary. It introduced Wiley to MLS and those in Atlanta who may not have seen this young fullback play before.
But this wasn’t the beginning of Wiley’s story.
From ball boy to 5-Stripe
One of the biggest moments in Atlanta United’s MLS tenure was 2018. In just two years, the club had reached the peak of league play and was competing for a trophy.
The MLS Cup.
Atlanta United was the Eastern Conference champion. It just so happened that the MLS Cup was being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United’s home stadium. A picture-perfect opportunity for the expansion team to claim its first championship and the city’s first professional title since 1995.
And that day, Caleb Wiley was a ball boy.
At the time, Academy teams were the only ones to serve as ball boys for first team matches. So at the tender age of 13, Wiley worked on the pitch.
Atlanta United lifted the trophy that day, beating Portland 2-0 on December 8, 2018. It’s a day that 17s remember fondly, with pride, joy, all the emotions. The beginning of an incredibly successful run in club history that included the Campeones Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
And Wiley witnessed it all firsthand, the first professional title in Atlanta in his lifetime.
“It’s crazy to see me going from a ball boy and I remember that day when we won MLS Cup,” he said. “I was so excited, it was the first time I felt what winning was like, and then I got to experience it playing for the first team.”
Even then, even as early as 2018, that’s not where Wiley’s story began.
Homegrown in Atlanta
Wiley’s story does in fact begin in Atlanta. His family, his city, his neighborhood, his home.
He was born on December 22, 2004 here in Atlanta. He grew up in Morningside, a neighborhood northeast of Piedmont Park and just west of Decatur. Playing soccer began in his family backyard with his parents, Chris and Jenn looking on. He continued playing at the YMCA and local parks.
The timing was right. Just as Wiley was growing more serious and more in love with soccer, MLS announced it was bringing a professional club to Atlanta. And that meant more than just a first team. They installed a system of youth development where local boys could grow into the sport and play competitively, known as the Atlanta United Academy.
Scouts identified his talent and Wiley joined the Atlanta United Academy in 2016 at the age of 11 as a member of the club’s inaugural U-12 team.
And that was just the start.
Wiley progressed through the Academy. He made his professional debut on July 11, 2020 with Atlanta United 2. At 15 years and 206 days, he became the youngest player in club history to appear in a professional game. Wiley went on to play 11 games in 2020, all starts, and finished with 910 minutes played. As a fullback, he led the 2s with 25 interceptions that season.
“We just tried to give Caleb the opportunity,” said his parents, Chris and Jenn. “He loves the game, so we just try to put him on that pathway, support him, and let him do what he does. And what he loves. For the Academy, it’s just great because you can actually see it and know that it can work.”
In January 2022, he signed his Homegrown contract with the first team just a month after his 17th birthday. He became a member of the first team and joined head coach Gonzalo Pineda’s squad for preseason training, leading the way to that magical debut.
Along the way, Wiley found support from Atlanta United. Academy director Matt Lawrey knew him since the age of 10 or 11 and was his coach. Tony Annan, who originally joined the club in 2016 and served five years as Academy Director, scouted Caleb and gave him that initial opportunity with the U-12 side. Annan later coached Caleb again when he was named interim head coach Atlanta United 2.
Other influences include former Atlanta United 2 coach Jack Collison and current interim head coach Rob Valentino.
“It’s been a very enjoyable journey,” Wiley said. “Very tough, very hard-working journey. But those are the ones who have made it easier, along with my family and friends that have always supported me.”
“The support he’s gotten from the leadership and the coaches at the club has been a huge part,” his father, Chris Wiley said. “That’s been really big for Caleb, just that support he’s been getting from those coaches. He’s extremely humble, and he just puts the work in.”
Few have done what Wiley has achieved. George Bello, who also joined the Academy in 2016, a few years older than Caleb, worked his way up the pathway to become a professional. Over time, Wiley became the model for the pathway. Last season, Wiley set record for most MLS appearances by an Atlanta United Homegrown. He showed kids in the Academy who they could be.
"I've been around Caleb for the last three to four years a lot, and just seeing how he works every day, he's definitely deserving of this opportunity," said fellow Homegrown Noah Cobb. "Definitely for the rest of us Homegrowns, it makes it seem more real and seem like if that is your goal, then it is achievable."
A pathway to the stars
One day, when he was about 11 years old, Wiley was at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. He ran into the biggest star of Atlanta United’s team. Josef Martínez, the club’s all-time leading goal scorer and Golden Boot winner, the stern-faced striker that other MLS teams learned to fear because of his scoring prowess.
That day at the Training Ground, Wiley took a picture with the Atlanta United star. In the picture, Wiley is not much shorter than Martínez, although he is much younger, fresh-faced with braces.
Martínez signed the photograph for Wiley:
“To Caleb,” he wrote. “Keep up the hard work!”
If the two only knew at that point one day they’d be wearing the same crest, wearing the same kit, together as teammates, that one day in 2022 Wiley would sub into a match for Martínez, and as if the seasoned striker had passed on his torch to the younger, Wiley would be the one to score a goal.
Atlanta United’s present and future brought together again.
“Josef was massive here when Caleb was in the Academy,” Chris Wiley said. “To see Josef come out and give Caleb like a little high five, and then Caleb come in the game. And then to score in that game was pretty impactful on me because it just went to say all of his hard work, all the extra time that he's been putting in by himself, truly came to fruition. That was really a special moment.”
An Olympian
Their reaction to his first MLS goal went viral. In a zoomed out video, you can see two people in the stands lose their minds. They jump and down celebrating before becoming swept up in emotion.
It might be easy to mistake this pair for a couple of 17s. But they were the people who raised the goal scorer they were cheering for that night against Sporting Kansas City, the ones who supported him along his way.
His parents, Chris and Jenn Wiley.
Whether it’s taking him to practice or being in the living room while Caleb nearby worked on his juggling, his parents were with him every step of the way.
“Being from the city, born in Piedmont hospital in Morningside, living in the Morningside area, it’s special because we’re just soccer fans,” Chris said. “It’s like we’ve been on a journey with Atlanta United, as Atlanta United was on its own journey.”
Whenever Caleb hit a milestone, his parents were the first people he called. When Wiley got the call from head coach Marko Mitrović to tell him he made the United States Olympic men's national team that would compete in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
“The minute he told me, I was hooting and hollering,” Jenn said. “Super, super proud. Smiling from ear to ear on my end."
Wiley departs to Paris already with two caps for the U.S. senior men’s national team. He made his international debut last year against Mexico in the Allstate Continental Clásico.
As someone who remembers watching the opening ceremonies when he was younger, Wiley understands the gravity of the Olympics. This summer, he’ll be among 18 players selected to form a U-23 squad driven to show the world the greatness of American soccer.
“It’s a huge honor anytime that I can put on that jersey to represent my country,” Wiley said the day the announcement was made. “Obviously, on the biggest stage, it means a lot more, and to know that I’m representing so much more than my country but also my family back home, the city of Atlanta. It means so much, and I’m excited for it all.”
And the Americans have a tall task ahead of them. They face one of the top contenders in the tournament, France. But Wiley emphasized that it’s his goal to win a medal, a goal the United States shares collectively.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “But to have that belief that we’re also a very good team, and we can also compete with anyone out there. We’ll go out there and we’ll show it to the world that we’re capable of playing with anyone.”
A dream realized, and much more ahead
Wiley has donned many kits and many colors for the 5-Stripes. He wore the BLVCK Kit, the Forest Kit, the 17s’ and Resurgens. He was part of the group that launched the 404 Kit and contributed to the player-led Legacy Collection that launched this past June. He wore the 404 Day gear, alongside Homegrown counterparts Noah Cobb and Jay Fortune.
During his time in Atlanta, he also carried many dreams. One of those dreams, the most aspirational yet to come: playing in Europe.
On July 22, the club announced that Wiley had been transferred to Chelsea, a club in the English Premier League. The EPL side has not rostered many Americans in the club’s history, but one on the list is perhaps one of the most famous American soccer players in the world: United States men’s national team captain Christian Pulisic.
So, Wiley will make the move overseas and play with and against some of the best players world. For the 19-year-old, it’s a dream come true.
What an honor for Wiley to be coveted by a team in one of the finest leagues in the world. It’s a testament to his hard work as well as his upbringing. It shows what is possible through humility and hard work, honoring the ones who came before and listening to the ones we work with everyday. As he makes this jump to play for a club away from home for the first time in his life, Atlanta will be watching. We’ll be rooting for the kid from Morningside, cheering him on as he grows, competes and makes us proud.
For we know this: Atlanta United is just the beginning of his story.
