Caleb Wiley joined none other than Bayern Munich and Canada superstar Alphonso Davies in some esteemed company Saturday afternoon.
The Atlanta United homegrown standout, with two goals and one assist in the first half of a comprehensive 3-0 win at Charlotte FC, became the fourth-youngest MLS player with at least three goal contributions in a single half.
Wiley accomplished that at 18 years and 79 days, a few clicks behind the Vancouver Whitecaps FC academy export.
Youngest players in MLS history with at least 3 goal contributions in a single half:
- Alphonso Davies (17 years, 219 days) on 6/9/18
- Alphonso Davies (17 years, 268 days) on 7/28/18
- Bobby Convey (17 years, 347 days) on 5/29/01
- Caleb Wiley (18 years, 79 days) on 3/11/23
Wiley, who’s been starting at left wing as offseason free-agent signing Derrick Etienne Jr. gets up to speed, is in his second MLS season. The US youth international now has 3g/3a in just under 1,700 league minutes for the Five Stripes.
“He's one that we believe very high on him, we think he's going to be a great, great player,” head coach Gonzalo Pineda said postgame. “And these type of performances, I hope gives him a little bit of extra boost in his career and starts to believe even more in himself, same as the whole club does.”
Who knows if Wiley will ever rival Davies' level or the reported $22 million he moved to German Bundesliga giants Bayern for in 2019. But it’s nonetheless a tip-of-the-cap moment for the youngster, who also scored on his debut in the 2022 season.
Atlanta, chasing the heights of their MLS Cup 2018-winning days, return to action on Matchday 4 when hosting the Portland Timbers (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). The Eastern Conference club is 2W-0L-1D through Matchday 3.
