Chelsea can wait. Caleb Wiley‘s precedence over the following two and half weeks is to get his fingers on a medal on the Paris Olympics.
The United States defender has already secured a transfer to the Premier League with Chelsea — now he has his eyes mounted on one other prize.
“A medal. That’s what we’re going to fight for,” Wiley instructed The Related Press. “And I have full belief that we’re going to do it.”
The U.S. males’s workforce performs on the Olympics for the primary time since 2008 when it takes on host nation France, one of many match favorites, in Marseille on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Wiley is more likely to be the topic of elevated curiosity from Chelsea followers, not less than, after he accomplished his transfer to the two-time Champions League winner from Atlanta United FC on Monday in a deal value a reported $11 million.
The left-back stated he had been inundated with messages because the announcement and has not been in a position to reply to all of them whereas the U.S. prepares for its Olympic return. However relatively than the switch distracting him from the Video games, he stated Olympics had helped take his thoughts off the largest transfer of his profession whereas the small print of the switch have been being finalized, months after he discovered of Chelsea’s curiosity.
“I think for me the most important thing was staying present. It’s been an ongoing thing for a while now, for a few months,” Wiley stated. “Simply realizing the place I used to be, staying centered with Atlanta on the time after which now with the Olympics has helped me form of simply be within the second.
“I think it’s important to, to enjoy it first. You know this doesn’t happen to too many kids and so I think [you need] to embrace the feeling.”
As properly France, which is coached by Thierry Henry, the Individuals have been drawn with Guinea and New Zealand in Group A.
U.S. coach Marko Mitrovic stated his gamers ought to embrace the chance of taking part in France in its opening recreation, however doesn’t imagine it can outline his workforce’s match.
“I think once we reflect on our lives in the future, we will be proud that we play this game,” Mitrovic stated. “We are very grateful to play that game tomorrow. It’s going to stay forever for us, but it’s only one of three games that we have in the group stage and the points of the game count the same as in the other games.”
