U.S. U18 Men’s National Team defender Callum Stretch has a new home. The 16-year-old, who has dual citizenship with the U.S. and the United Kingdom, inked a two-year contract with Aston Villa last month. 

“When I first went over to the UK I played with Tottenham Hotspurs U15 team. There I had a week trial and played against Ipswich,” Stretch told TopDrawerSoccer when asked how he ended up at Aston Villa. “I felt that I did well and the coaching staff seemed to agree by inviting me back. When I returned back to LA to figure out what would be the best plan moving forward, it was during that period that some of the coaching staff had left Spurs and moved on to Villa. That's why when I was ready to return back to England, I was asked to go there for trials.”

Stretch made the most of his time back in England, as he impressed the coaching staff once again, and the new club left a lasting positive impression on him. 

“I really enjoyed Villa's open door policy as well as their facility and fields being second to none,” Stretch said. “The whole experience was very positive and the group of coaches and players made me feel very welcome. I did 6 weeks of trials playing for the U16’s in games against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Reading by where I was then called up for the US U18’s to play in Sweden. It was when I returned back to Villa they offered me the contract.”

Stretch, who is from Southern California, has played for LA Galaxy Academy in the past. He pointed to the pace of the game as a big difference between soccer in the States and his new home in England. 

“The speed of play and obviously the weather,” Stretch said when asked about the difference. “The fields are always quite slick, therefore the ball moves much quicker. Also, the amount of training I am doing now and all the different aspects of the game and resources available are more involved.”

As for this season, Stretch looks to be among the younger prospects for Aston Villa’s U18 side. 

“I’m starting as a first year U18, so being on the younger side I will have to fight and earn my spot against the second year 18s,” Stretch said. “Hopefully I will be able to play with the U21s in the not too distant future as well. I have been fortunate to be able to train with them these past few weeks during pre-season and I'm learning a lot. I’ve been playing right back as well as center back.”

Now that he is with a professional academy in England, Stretch’s goal remains on improvement with each step of the process in order to become a professional in the sport that he loves. 

“To continue to grow and improve every week as a player and to be fit and healthy to have a full season,” Stretch said when asked about his goals for the season. “It’s a very exciting time for me so I am trying to take it all in day by day. I also want to continue to represent the U.S. so I am looking forward to that opportunity.”