17-year-old latest prospect to turn pro with OCSC.
Orange County SC announced on Thursday they have signed defender Joey Buckley ahead of the 2023 season.
Buckley, 17, turns professional out of the Barcelona Residency Academy, the same program that current OCSC players Korede Osundina and Bryce Jamison played before turning pro.
“We are delighted to sign Joey Buckley, another top US youth soccer talent, to his first professional contract at Orange County,” OCSC General Manager and President of Soccer Operations Oliver Wyss said in a team statement. “Joey has a tremendous future ahead of him and we are looking forward to seeing him develop as a player and person in our professional environment!”
Buckley hails from Massachusetts and had previously played in the New England Revolution academy set-up. With Barcelona’s academy in Arizona the past four years, Buckley has trained with FC Barcelona’s U-18 squad in Spain.
“I signed with Orange County because they are a respected organization and club that will guide me as I start my professional career,” Buckley said. “I look forward to helping the team return to the top of the league and develop not only as a player, but as a person as well.”
An outside back, if Buckley adjusts to the pro game well, he could be the next youngster to impress higher level teams and move on, as we’ve seen with the likes of Aaron Cervantes, Ronaldo Damus and Kobi Henry in recent years at Orange County SC.
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