Andrew Carleton and Lagos Kunga are going to have successful careers in soccer, according to Atlanta United vice president Carlos Bocanegra. They just won’t happen with the club that signed them as Homegrowns.
Atlanta United on Tuesday announced that it declined to pick up options on both players.
“Just because they don’t make it at 17, 18, 19, 20, doesn’t mean the won’t have a long career,” Bocanegra said.
Carleton, a 19-year-old native of Powder Springs, was the club’s first Homegrown signing when he was 15. Perhaps a victim of Atlanta United’s ambition to sign high-priced or veteran players and perhaps a victim of immaturity that comes with being a teenager, Carleton could never win a consistent spot on gameday rosters under manages Gerardo Martino and Frank de Boer. Carleton finished his career having made only 11 appearances in league games from 2017-19. He was sent on loan to Indy Eleven in the USL this season. He made 14 appearances in 16 games, scored one goal and had three assists, for the team.
“Just didn’t see him with a future breaking in with our first team,” Bocanegra said. “He still has a lot of soccer ahead of him. He needs to get into the right situation and style to suit him. With his play at Indy, there will be plenty of people who will bring him on board.”
Kunga, 22, was part of the second group of Homegrown signings made for the 2018 season. He never appeared in a league game for Atlanta United. He spent most of the past two seasons on loan with clubs in the USL. He appeared in nine game for Phoenix Rising in 2020. He scored one goal.
“I wouldn’t look at it in a negative way, it’s just that they are going to take a different path for their future,” Bocanegra said.
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