Caleb Wiley: Future USMNT star that Chelsea are hoping can become the next Alphonso Davies

During Wiley's early years, soccer was only one of several sports he tried out. That makes sense, particularly in Atlanta, a city that has produced plenty of NFL, NBA and MLB stars. He fell into soccer, and he fell into it at the right time, too, as a new MLS team was coming to town.

Wiley actually joined Atlanta United's academy before the team took the field, which gave him a first-hand look at the club's incredible rise. On December 8, 2018, he was there when the team won MLS Cup in their home stadium, which certainly served as a defining moment for the then-14-year-old.

“I got to be on the field and experience that feeling of winning,” he told Rough Draft Atlanta. “I wasn’t a player at the time, so I didn’t know how it felt to actually win it. But after seeing that happen, it was like, 'Wow!'. I wanted to be in their shoes, I wanted to be doing that, playing in front of 70,000-plus fans.”

Wiley would work his way towards getting the chance, and he made his professional debut with Atlanta United 2 in 2020 before, in January 2022, he officially signed his homegrown contract with his boyhood club. From that point forward, the only way was only up.

It didn't take long for Wiley to get going with the Atlanta first team. He made his debut in February 2020, and marked it with a goal in what ended up as a 3-1 win over Sporting KC. By the end of the season, he'd made 26 league appearances, jumping right into life in MLS.

The 2023 campaign, though, was his real breakout, and it started early. In just the third week of the season, Wiley scored two goals and provided an assist in a win over Charlotte FC, becoming the fifth-youngest player in MLS history to contribute to three goals in a single season. That put the rest of MLS on notice: Wiley had arrived.

“Everything has happened so quick,” Wiley told MLSsoccer.com earlier this year. “Thankfully, I've had mentors and I've had teammates, I've had coaches, I've obviously had family that has always been by my side. But I think the biggest one is just having my teammates, especially the older guys who've kind of gone through it. They're more experienced, so they know what they're doing. And so to have them kind of give me advice, kind of talk to me, has been very helpful.

“I mean, there's a lot of pressure, especially when I first started out, not used to playing in front of 70,000-plus fans. So it was something that I had to adapt to. I think as games went on, I started getting more confident in myself, I started growing into my body as a player and as a person. And then came the second year and I had an idea of what the league was about. I had an idea of what other players, how they were playing. I physically got stronger, mentally got stronger.”

Wiley never lost his spot in the Atlanta United XI, starting 28 times throughout the 2023 season. He finished with four goals and four assists from the left-back position. So far, to start 2024, he's started 21 games for Atlanta, contributing a goal and an assist. The club, though, has struggled to live up to expectations as a whole.

Wiley, on the other hand, has seen his stock soar. In 2023, he made his U.S. men's national team debut in a 1-1 draw with Mexico before going on to star at the Under-20 World Cup. He then went on to earn a second USMNT cap during the 2024 January camp against Slovenia.

This summer, the focus is on the U-23s as Wiley is set to be a key player for the U.S. at the Olympics in Paris later this month.

The first thing that you notice about Wiley is that he always seems to be playing the game on fast-forward. Everything is done with speed, and he never slows down.

Blessed with both elite pace and size, Wiley is a menace on that left-hand side. He has the ability to run past just about everybody but, more importantly, he also has the ability to do it over and over again. Wiley isn't just one of the best young players in the world when it comes to pure pace, but also the amount of ground covered at full speed.

That acceleration, of course, makes him hard to defend, as does his dribbling. Wiley has gotten more comfortable on the ball and has improved his crossing.

Defensively, he's also improved plenty. He can play as a left-back, wing-back or as a wide forward, with his versatility making him an asset to whatever team he's on.

In truth, Wiley has stagnated a bit in MLS. Atlanta United, in general, have been treading water and are in for a summer rebuild, with Wiley's sale helping to fund it.

His development has stalled, and he still has to become a bit more goal-dangerous and needs to improve his decision-making in the final third, as his goal-contribution numbers show. Tactically, most players coming from MLS will need to adjust to the European game, and Wiley is no different, particularly on the defensive end if he's to be a left-back going forward.

That's why Chelsea plan to loan him to sister club Strasbourg. Ligue 1 is still a very, very good level and a legitimate jump up from MLS, but it's also one that will give Wiley a proper test. You can see the raw potential with the teenager, but at the moment, his game still needs a bit of refining if he's to compete at a top, top level.

It almost feels like a lazy comparison, but it is fair... Alphonso Davies is, of course, probably the best MLS export to date. He, like Wiley, is a winger-turned-fullback who is blessed with extraordinary pace, which covers up some of his shortcomings. Like Davies was when he left MLS, Wiley is a raw piece of clay that could be sculpted into one hell of a left-back.

Now, to be fair, Davies felt far more complete when he left North America than Wiley is now, and the Bayern Munich star is legitimately one of the best left-backs in the world. If Wiley can get anywhere close to that, all involved will be pretty happy with his development.

The Olympics will be huge for Wiley, and for the U.S. in general. The team is returning to this stage for the first time since 2008, and Wiley is expected to be a key player on the left-hand side.

He has competition, though. Wolfsburg star Kevin Paredes can also play anywhere down the same flank, while John Tolkin is a fantastic pure fullback who offers more defensive cover than Wiley or Paredes. It remains to be seen how the U.S. will line up but, regardless, Wiley is expected to be a difference-maker for this team.

Before that, though, has come his big move to Europe. Wiley's time on loan at Strasbourg will be a much-needed change of scenery, one that will take the defender way out of his comfort zone while giving him the opportunity to impress his new employers back at Chelsea. At just 19, he still has lots of developing to do, but Atlanta's homegrown star will have every chance to prove himself now that he's made the big leap from his hometown to the top European leagues.