Chelsea can wait. Caleb Wiley’s priority for the next two and a half weeks is to win a medal at the Paris Olympics.
The American defender has already confirmed his move to the Premier League from Chelsea and now he is aiming for another award.
“It’s a medal. That’s what we’re fighting for,” Wiley told The Associated Press. “And I’m confident we’ll get it.”
The U.S. men’s team will be making its first Olympic appearance since 2008 and will face host nation France, one of the event’s top contenders, in Marseille on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Wiley is likely to get more attention from Chelsea fans, at least after completing his move to the two-time Champions League winners from Atlanta United FC on Monday for a reported $11 million.
The left-back said he had been inundated with messages since the announcement and had not been able to respond to them all as the United States prepared to return to the Olympics. But rather than the move keeping him away from the Olympics, he said the Olympics helped to distract him from the biggest move of his career as details of the move were finalised months after learning of Chelsea’s interest.
“The most important thing for me was to stay in the moment, which has been going on for months,” Wiley said. “Just knowing where I am, focusing on Atlanta at the time, and focusing on the Olympics now, helped me stay in the moment.
“I think it’s important to enjoy it first. I know this doesn’t happen to a lot of kids, so I think you have to embrace that feeling.”
France and the United States, both coached by Thierry Henry, have been drawn in Group A alongside Guinea and New Zealand.
USA coach Marko Mitrovic said his players should seize their opportunity to face France in the opening game, but he does not believe it will determine his team’s tournament performance.
“When we look back on our lives in the future, I think we will be proud to have played this game,” Mitrovic said. “We are very grateful to have played this game tomorrow. It will be a game that will stay with us forever, but it is only one of three games in the group stage and the points from this game are as important as any other game.”
