Caleb Wiley named to U.S. roster for U-20 World Cup

It’s official: Caleb Wiley is headed to the U-20 World Cup.

Mikey Varas named his 21-player squad on Wednesday afternoon, and Wiley will be a part of the group headed to Argentina. Tournament play begins on May 20 in Argentina.

It’s the next step in the growing profile of Wiley, an Academy product that eventually worked his way into the ATL UTD 2 lineup as he appeared 33 times in 2020 and 2021. In January 2022, he signed a Homegrown Player deal, later scoring on his MLS debut against Sporting Kansas City. He has appeared in all 11 matches for Atlanta this year (starting 10) while registering 3 goals and 2 assists.

The Americans’ best finish in the tournament came in 1989, where they finished 4th. Ukraine is the defending champion; Argentina has won it the most times (6), followed by Brazil (5).

The U.S. opens group play against Ecuador on May 20 before facing Fiji (May 23) and Slovakia (May 26). The top 2 teams in each of the 6 groups, as well as the 4 highest ranked 3rd-place finishers, advance to the knockout stage set to begin on May 30.