North Carolina FC’s Youth-to-Pro pathway yields club’s first two international transfers

CARY, N.C. — North Carolina FC announced two international transfers, sending defender Adrian Pelayo to Liga MX club Chivas and forward Julian Placias to Belgian club K.V.C. Westerlo. Both transfers have an agreed-upon fee involved and are pending league and federation approval.

The teenagers signed with North Carolina FC due to the club’s proven track record of developing young talent to prepare for the next steps in their respective professional careers. The successful Youth-to-Pro pathway continues to create opportunities for budding talent nationwide.

“We are so proud of Adrian and Julian for their hard work during their time with our club. They’ve adapted and grown tremendously in our professional environment on the field and in the locker room. We have supported these players with international trials and they have made the most of them to find fantastic next chapters in their young careers. We will be cheering them on while watching them grow and are pleased to play a role in them reaching these milestones.

“This is a special moment for our club’s professional development pathway as we have our first two international transfers from North Carolina FC, with one to Europe and one to Mexico. We are excited to continue to welcome top youth talent into our club and support their professional development and international ambitions,” said NCFC Head Coach and Sporting Director John Bradford.

“North Carolina FC has featured one of the deepest Academy programs in the United States for many years, and has shown now its ability to develop talent and move it on to new opportunities. With these two transfers, the club follows the current trends we are seeing across the USL Championship where top talents are being tracked and sold to top International clubs,” said USL Head of Global Football Development and Sporting Director Oliver Wyss.

Pelayo signed with NCFC in September 2023, having previously played for the Portland Timbers Academy and the club’s MLS Next Pro affiliate. In addition to his club experience, Pelayo has been a regular in the Mexico youth national team camps. The center back made two USL Championship starts for NCFC, playing 172 minutes. Pelayo completed 89% of his passes during those two starts. Pelayo also played the full 90’ in the team’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round win over Carolina Core FC, helping the team keep a clean sheet.

Placias joined NCFC this offseason, signing with the club from LA Galaxy’s academy. The forward made eight appearances in the 2024 USL Championship season, scoring one goal. Placias also scored in the team’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run, bagging the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Carolina Core FC in the third round.

North Carolina FC returns to action this Saturday, July 13, hitting the road to face Sacramento Republic FC at 11 p.m. ET at Heart Health Park. The match will stream live on CBS’ Golazo Network.