Caleb Ryan Wiley (born December 22, 2004) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

left wing-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

club

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

, on loan from

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club Chelsea, and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Club career

Atlanta United

Early career

Wiley grew up in Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood, playing soccer, football, basketball, and baseball in elementary school before focusing on soccer as he grew older. At 11 years old, Wiley participated in an open tryout for enrollment in Atlanta United's youth academy, and secured one of 30 spots on the fledgling club's U-12 team. Joining the academy just before the professional outfit began their inaugural

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

season, Wiley remained heavily involved with the club through his debut with

Atlanta United 2 Atlanta United 2 are the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC. The team plays in MLS Next Pro, the official reserve league of MLS. The team was established on November 14, 2017 and began their first professional seaso ...

in 2020. In 2018, Wiley served as a ball boy as Atlanta defeated the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

in the

2018 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2018 was the 23rd edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which took place on December 8, 2018. It was the final match of the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs and was contested by Atlanta United FC and the P ...

final. In July 2020, Wiley made his professional debut with Atlanta's

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

affiliate, appearing in a 2–1 defeat to the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

Professional

On January 18, 2022, Wiley signed a homegrown player contract with

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...

. In February, he made his MLS debut against

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

, scoring late in Atlanta's 3–1 victory. With the team suffering from a number of injuries, Wiley found himself moving up the depth chart, finishing the 2022 season with 26 league appearances to his name. In February 2023, Wiley was named amongst American Soccer Now's top 20 young Americans to watch during the

2023 Major League Soccer season The 2023 Major League Soccer season was the 28th season of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada, and the 45th season overall of a national first-division league in the United States. The ...

. It didn't take Wiley long to live up to those expectations, scoring twice and providing an additional assist in Atlanta's week three victory over

Charlotte FC Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...

. At 18 years and 79 days of age, he became the fifth-youngest player in league history to contribute to three goals in a single game. As a result of that performance, he was named to the league's Team of the Matchday for week three and was named Player of the Week. He added his third goal of the season the following week in a 5–1 victory over Portland. Wiley concluded the season with four goals in 33 MLS appearances, as Atlanta were eliminated from the playoffs by eventual champions

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

. Wiley was believed to have a high upside, but remained "an incomplete attacking player" as well as "a flawed defensive one" according to analysts from

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

, owing to lapses in his defensive decision-making and awareness.

Chelsea

On July 22, 2024,

club Chelsea announced the signing of Wiley on a six-year contract, paying a transfer fee of approximately £8.5 million.

Loan to Strasbourg

On August 11, 2024, Wiley was loaned out to

BlueCo BlueCo is a consortium led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjörg Wyss. The group was formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover of Premier League football club Chelsea F.C. in 2022. Its name is derived from the hom ...

-owned

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

on a season-long deal. He made his competitive debut on August 18, 2024 in Strasbourg's 1–1 draw with

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

Loan to Watford

On February 3, 2025, Wiley was recalled from his loan at Strasbourg and joined

club

on loan. On July 22, 2025, Watford extended his loan for one more season.

International career

In early 2020, Wiley, alongside

Academy teammate Efrain Morales, was called up to the United States U17 squad for a UEFA Development Tournament taking place in England. He made his youth international debut on February 19, 2020, playing the entirety of a 2–1 defeat to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In November 2021, at just 16 years of age, he was called up to the United States U20 roster. On April 12, 2023, Wiley received his first called up to the

USMNT The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is a member of FIFA sinc ...

. Seven days later, he made his senior national team debut in a 1–1 draw in a friendly against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. On October 8, Wiley was called up to the United States under-23 national team ahead of friendlies against

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In July 2024, he was called up to the United States under-23 national team to compete in

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Player profile

Style of play

Wiley is known for his pace, crossing, and ability to contribute both offensively and defensively, marking him as a versatile option in the fullback position. He has additionally been utilized as a wingback and a winger during his professional career.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

*
Caleb Wiley
at US Soccer Development Academy * * *
Caleb Wiley
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

(archived
alternate link
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Caleb 2004 births Living people Soccer players from Atlanta African-American soccer players American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Atlanta United 2 players Atlanta United FC players Chelsea F.C. players RC Strasbourg Alsace players Watford F.C. players United Premier Soccer League players USL Championship players Homegrown Players (MLS) Major League Soccer players Ligue 1 players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Olympic soccer players for the United States United States men's international soccer players Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics American expatriate men's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in England American expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in France 21st-century American sportsmen