February 12, 2020
Casa Grande, Ariz – Barça Residency Academy standout Caden Clark has signed his first professional contract with New York Red Bulls II. Clark, 16, became the sixth Barça Residency Academy player to make the leap from the residency academy to the pros.
“Caden is a young exciting player that we believe has a lot of potential within our system. We are really excited to start working with him and see how far we can push him in his development,” said NYRB II Head Coach John Wolyniec. “He is a very smart player that has a high level of technical ability. He has a ton of energy and plays both sides of the ball. I think what we like most though is his mentality and how he plays with such courage.”
The deal was made official on February 5th and announced by the club on social media.
Clark, a Medina, Minnesota native, joined Barça Residency Academy at the age of fourteen ahead of the Academy’s inaugural season in 2017. Already a promising young midfielder, Clark quickly immerged as not only one of the top players at the Academy but one of the highest rated 2003s in the country.
In his two and a half years at Barça Residency Academy, Clark appeared in 58 games and tallied 15 goals, three of which came just last summer during the 2019 U-19 U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs where he scored a goal in three consecutive appearances including a game-winner in a must win match. Top Drawer Soccer honored him as a standout after each match, and named him to the playoffs Best XI.
Clark was invited to FC Barcelona’s legendary youth training center La Masia in Barcelona, Spain on three separate occasions between 2018 and 2019, the most recent being in November of 2019. He’s gained interest from colleges, MLS, and European clubs but will ultimately begin his professional career in New Jersey.
“We are very excited to have Caden in our group. He is a tremendous young talent and an impressive young man, and we can’t wait to see the energy he brings to the group,” Wolyniec said.
Clark and New York Red Bulls II kick off the 2020 season on March 7 at their home complex MSU Soccer Park.
