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. [3] 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. [4] Joining the academy just before the professional outfit began their inaugural Major League Soccer season, Wiley remained heavily involved with the club through his debut with Atlanta United 2 in 2020. In 2018, Wiley served as a ball boy as Atlanta defeated the Portland Timbers in the 2018 MLS Cup final. [5]
In July 2020, Wiley made his professional debut with Atlanta's USL Championship affiliate, appearing in a 2–1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. [6]
Professional
On January 18, 2022, Wiley signed a homegrown player contract with Atlanta United. [7] [8] In February, he made his MLS debut against Sporting Kansas City, scoring late in Atlanta's 3–1 victory. [9] 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. [10]
In February 2023, Wiley was named amongst American Soccer Now's top 20 young Americans to watch during the 2023 Major League Soccer season. [11] 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. [12] 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. [13] As a result of that performance, he was named to the league's Team of the Matchday for week three [14] and was named Player of the Week. [15] He added his third goal of the season the following week in a 5–1 victory over Portland. [16] Wiley concluded the season with four goals in 33 MLS appearances, as Atlanta were eliminated from the playoffs by eventual champions Columbus. Wiley was believed to have a high upside, but remained "an incomplete attacking player" as well as "a flawed defensive one" according to anaylsts from The Athletic, owing to lapses in his defensive decision-making and awareness. [17]
