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You may have heard about a player in Chivas USA's Academy system who has gotten considerable attention in recent weeks: 12-year-old John Kenneth "Xuxuh" Hilton. If you haven't heard about him, most of the attention stems from this blog piece posted by 3four3 Wednesday touting Hilton's recent accomplishments, as well as an article similarly highlighting what he's been up to lately on MLSsoccer.com Thursday.
Among the biggest marks on his burgeoning resume is a call-up to the U.S. National Team's U-14 training camp this past April, as an 11-year-old, as well as an invitation to train with Manchester City's Academy. He went as a member of Man City's Academy team that went to the United Jeugd Cup in the Netherlands last weekend, and won tournament MVP, as well as the Cup itself with Manchester City. And based on the teams at the tournament, that looks like a pretty impressive accomplishment.
When he's not playing guest stints for English clubs or getting called up to national teams above his age group, Xuxuh is a member of Chivas USA's U-14 squad, which will be part of the expanded USSDA system this year (which is including a U-13/14 division in addition to the existing U-15/16 and U-17/18 age groups). Although he is part of the Goats' system now, if he's getting so much attention already from Europe, it is probably a safe bet that he could follow in the footsteps of recent Chivas USA Academy players Ben Spencer (Molde) and Josh Perez (Fiorentina) who have signed professional deals in Europe in the last year.
Of course, he's also only 12, and who really knows what the future holds in store for him. For now, let's congratulate Xuxuh on his recent success and wish him luck in bringing pride to Chivas USA fans!
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