Chelsea can wait. Caleb WileyHis priority for the next two and a half weeks is to win a medal at the Paris Olympics.
The USA the defender has protected moved to the Premier League with Chelsea — now he has his eyes set on another prize.
“A medal. That’s what we’re going to fight for,” Wiley told The Associated Press. “And I have every confidence that we’re going to do it.”
The U.S. men’s team will compete in the Olympics for the first time since 2008 when it faces the host nation Franceone of the tournament’s top contenders, which will take place in Marseille on Wednesday.
Wiley, 19, is likely to be the subject of increasing interest from Chelsea fans, at least once he completes his move to the two-time Champions League winners from Atlanta United Football Club in Monday in a deal worth 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 for their Olympic return. But rather than the transfer distracting him from the Games, he said the Games helped him forget about the biggest move of his career while the details of the move were being finalised, months after he first learned of Chelsea’s interest.
“I think for me, the most important thing was to stay present. This was something that had been going on for a while, for a few months,” Wiley said. “Just knowing where I was, focusing on Atlanta at that moment and then the Olympics helped me stay in the moment.
“I think it’s important to enjoy it first. You know, this doesn’t happen to too many kids and so I think [you need] to capture emotions.”
Like the France team coached by Thierry Henry, the US team is in Group A with Guinea and New Zealand.
U.S. coach Marko Mitrovic said his players should embrace the opportunity to play France in their opening match, but does not believe it will determine his team’s success or failure in the tournament.
“I think when we look back on our lives in the future, we’ll be proud to have played this game,” Mitrovic said. “We’re very grateful to be playing this game tomorrow. It will stay with us forever, but it’s just one of three games we have in the group stage and the points count the same as in the other games.”
