Believe it or not, Andrew Carleton’s amazing goal for the United States under-17’s made SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Friday night.
.@andrewcarleton7's cheeky chip No. 5 on #SCTop10!
— U.S. Soccer YNT (@ussoccer_ynt) May 6, 2017
For those keeping score at home, this marks the U-17 #USMNT's ✌️ @SportsCenter cameo. pic.twitter.com/pqJ1bMahwU
I’m not sure what’s more surprising about this development. The fact that they gave a goal from youth soccer some recognition or that they took a break from debating every single mundane topic to show some actual sports highlights for once.
Nevertheless, it’s very cool to see one of our own (see what I did there?) get some recognition by a national sports outlet. There’s no doubt that Carleton is extremely talented and it’s only a matter of time before we see him getting his chance at the MLS level.
With the confidence he’s shown at the CONCACAF Championship, Tata Martino has no choice but to notice. Of course, he’s just 16 years old and every precaution should be taken to ensure his development goes as smoothly as possible. But, there comes a time when a player makes it impossible for you to hold him off the field. We could be reaching that point soon with Carleton.