By DAN KARELL
April 17 is a date that Danny Barbir is unlikely to ever forget.
The 17-year-old American centerback signed his first professional contract on Friday with West Bromwich Albion, after spending more than a year in the club’s academy.
Barbir is also a regular starter with the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team and is expected to be a key member of the squad come October when the U.S. begins its FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in Chile.
“I’m very happy for Danny,” U.S. U-17 head coach Richie Williams told SBI. “It’s great that he was able to sign a pro contract and I know he was looking forward to it. He’s been part of our team over the last two seasons and it’s only going to help his development as a player in terms of becoming better and in terms of helping our team become better.”
Barbir, who reportedly holds an EU passport due to his Romanian-born father, left his home in Allentown, Pa. for England in Jan. 2014 to start a long-term trial with Manchester City. While his stay there didn’t only lasted a couple of months, Barbir landed in the West Bromwich academy and now has become a professional.
One of the traits that sets Barbir apart from others is his technique and control on the ball as well as his passing ability, which was honed through years playing higher up the field.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when coaches moved the 6-foot-3-inch tall Barbir back to defense, teaching him the art of defending while also taking advantage of his skilled passing from the back.
“He’s a good passer and he has good technique,” Williams said. “He just needs more experience as a defender.
“He’s definitely developing and definitely becoming a better defender.”
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What do you think of this news? Glad to see Barbir sign a pro contract? What does this mean for the U.S. U-17s? How have you seen him develop as a defender?
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