The new academy season is back in full swing, and there’s plenty of news coming out of the future of Atlanta United. Here’s what you may have missed so far from the month of September:
U-17 World Cup Call-ups
Representing your country at the World Cup is a dream for soccer players of any age group, and the Atlanta United Academy will have five players at the U-17 World Cup in India in October. Three will be wearing the red, white and blue of the United States: forward Andrew Carleton, midfielder Chris Goslin and a recent addition to Atlanta’s academy, goalkeeper Justin Garces.
Joining them in India will be two more Atlanta United prospects: Alex Bahr and Alessandro Castro, who have been called up to the Honduras squad for the tournament. All five players will get invaluable experience that will be crucial to their development for years to come. And with four of those five players native to the Atlanta area, the academy’s commitment to growing the beautiful game in Georgia is on full display.
Francombe seizes his chance with Wales
Sticking with international soccer, Atlanta United U-16 prospect Josh Francombe seized his opportunity after being called up to the Welsh U-16 National Team. Joining the squad for their Victory Shield warmup match against Gibraltar, Francombe stole the show, going the full 90 minutes and recording three assists in the process. You can surely expect to see him get called up again, and he will be one to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Strong showing in Florida
Bringing it back to the Atlanta United squads, they are playing games of their own of course, and what a start they’re having. The U-15’s, U-17’s and U-19’s traveled to Bradenton, Florida to face the IMG Academy and Chargers SC earlier this summer. The U-15’s had a mixed weekend, with a decisive 4-1 win over IMG, before falling just short, 2-1, to the Chargers the following day.The U-19’s, playing shorthanded with several players on national team duty, earned 1-1 and 2-2 draws, showing a strong understanding between some new names in defense. And the U-17’s kept up their perfect start to the season with a 6-1 win over IMG and a 3-0 victory against the Chargers. What a start it’s been for U-17 winger Edson Candela-Perez, who has five goals in his first three games for the squad.
Wrobel’s free kick golazo
This month's Academy Recap wouldn’t be complete without this one, potentially the goal of the month for the academy teams. U-16 midfielder Jackson Wrobel gets special marks for this powerful free kick into the top corner. Kevin Kratz from the senior team would be proud of this one:
#ATLUTD's Jackson Wrobel with the 🔥 free kick
— ATLUTD Academy (@AcademyATLUTD) September 25, 2017
Thoughts, @kevinkratz8? pic.twitter.com/B1ClOVoEy9
