Daniel Barbir has a new home.

The promising U.S. U17 Men’s National Team center back agreed to terms over the weekend with West Bromwich Albion, an English Premier League club.

West Brom nabbed the signature of one of the top talents from the U.S. 1998 age group over the likes of Manchester City, Everton, Chievo Verona, and a host of other academies from top European clubs. Along with trials at Manchester City, Barbir has also trained extensively at Fulham and West Brom in the past. He also practiced with the Philadelphia Union reserve squad last summer.

The youth national team standout is set to join Albion in July. Barbir is likely to feature with the club’s U18 squad during the early stages of next season. WBA finished 10th in the Barclays U18 Premier League South Group last season.

Barbir is a left-footed center back who stands at over 6-foot-3. His youth career began at center forward where he enjoyed considerable success with Lehigh Valley United, a recent addition to the Development Academy U14 age group, and PDA. Barbir was one of the top scorers for PDA last season in the Development Academy where he had 11 goals in 22 games for the U16 squad.

With the youth national team, Barbir transitioned into a center back under coaches Hugo Perez, Ben Ziemer, and Tony Lepore. The position has stuck with him and appears to be his spot for the future.  

His size immediately jumps out as one of his main attributes – and clearly a weapon on set pieces, but Barbir has shown his quality on the ball as well. He is fully capable of hitting a pass over 50 yards with remarkable precision for a player of his age.

Barbir joins WBA as the lone American in the club’s system. He is also the only foreign player in the club’s youth academy. The investment in the prospect speaks volumes to how the club rates the teenager and his future at the club.

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