U.S. Soccer’s list of prospects in European academies continues to grow each day. Sixteen-year-old Gannen Headrick is one of the most recent to pop up on the radar, but he is not new to Europe.

“Gannen Headrick moved to Madrid, Spain in 2012 due to his parent’s work,” Laure Headrick told TopDrawerSoccer in an email interview. “In 2013, Gannen joined Atletico de Madrid and has been with them since.”

Headrick, born in 2002, is a versatile option for Atletico youth teams. He has lined up as a left and right winger as well as a right back during his time in Spain. 

“Gannen has been grateful for all these years developing both his offensive and defensive skills within the Academy,” Laure Headrick said. “While Atletico de Madrid is one of the most renowned youth academies in Europe, Gannen has appreciated not only their highly regarded training methodology, but also the values important to the club.”

“The club cares not only how we play on the field, but also how we behave off the field,” Gannen Headrick added.

Headrick is currently playing on the Club Atletico de Madrid cadette team with coach Luis Amaranto Perea. Club Atletico de Madrid ‘C’ is in the Preferente Madrid Cadete Group 3 division. The club sits in third place in the standings after 21 weeks with a record of 14-4-3. Headrick has played in nine games this season with six starts. 

“We have many more important games ahead of us until the end of May,” Gannen Headrick said. “We will continue to work hard as a team to meet those challenges.”

While Gannen Headrick has had a good season with his club, he is still waiting on a call from U.S. Soccer.

“It would be an honor to be asked to play for one’s country,” Gannen Headrick said. “Of course, I would welcome any interest from U.S. scouts. Yet for now, I just focus on working hard in training sessions to continue to develop for myself and my team. I love to play and I feel very lucky to be in the position I am in.”

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