Moving to Spain due to his parent’s work turned out to be one of the best surprises for U.S. U17 Men’s National Team forward Nicolas Garcia-Morillo. The youth national team standout used that relocation to join one of the best youth academies in Spain with Atletico Madrid. 

“My parents decided to move to Spain for work and family reasons and once there I decided to have trials with Atletico Madrid,” Garcia-Morillo told TopDrawerSoccer last week. “After a successful week of trials, I made the roster for the 2015-2016 [season].”

He has quickly turned into a standout for the academy. Garcia-Morillo scored a goal in his debut game against San Fernando ‘A’ in November of 2015. Since then, he has scored six goals in five appearances with the Atletico Madrid Cadet team, which is for players born in 2000. 

Garcia-Morillo was not an undiscovered talent prior to joining the prestigious Spanish club. He was one of the best in Florida since early on in his playing days. He starred with Key Biscayne for five years and then West Pines for a season before he moved onto Weston FC. With Weston, he became a dominant force in the Development Academy and quickly emerged as one of the best in the 2000 age group for the U.S. National Team pool. 

He continues to hold down a role with the Youth National Team as he recently took part in the Aegean Cup in Turkey with the U.S. U17 MNT. 

That type of pedigree attracts interest from clubs all over the world and the Miami, Florida-native had experience with foreign clubs before joining Atletico Madrid. 

“In Key Biscayne we used to have the soccer program run by AC Milan Academies, so I had the chance to train in Milan, Italy,” Garcia-Morillo said about his previous opportunities training with foreign clubs. “Also in River Plate from Buenos Aires, my parents are from Argentina and we are all fans.”

A passport full of stamps eventually led to a new home with Atletico Madrid for the talented forward. While some players struggle in their first seasons at new clubs, Garcia-Morillo looks right at home with Atletico. He was handed the No. 11 jersey for his team and he has been living up to the billing since his arrival.

Perez on Point

Joshua Perez scored in his official debut for ACF Fiorentina on Saturday. Perez scored the first goal in Fiorentina Primavera’s 5-1 win over Trapani. 

It did not take long for Perez to make his name known to the Fiorentina fans. The winger struck in the 16th minute on a clever run and a slick finish past the goalkeeper. Perez, who is wearing the No. 9 jersey for the Primavera side, officially signed with the club on Friday. 

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