CHICAGO (March 13, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC II and U.S. Soccer today announced that midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut has been called up to the U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team for an international training camp from March 18-25 in San José, Costa Rica.
The U.S. squad will play two friendly matches against the hosts, on March 22 and March 24, as both nations gear up for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Both teams qualified for the expanded edition of the tournament during the Concacaf U-17 qualifiers in February.
Earlier this month, Hlyut became the first Chicago Fire Academy player to sign directly with Chicago Fire II, highlighting the player development pathway from the Academy to the professional ranks. At the international level, Hlyut has earned call-ups to multiple U.S. Men’s Youth National Team training camps. He last appeared for the U.S. U-17 Men’s Youth National Team in the Ježek Cup, held in Hustopeče, Czech Republic from Aug. 30-Sept. 9, 2024. The winger appeared in all three tournament matches against Germany, Czech Republic and Slovenia, starting two of them.
Hlyut joined Chicago Fire II full time after appearing in 16 matches for the team during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season, scoring once and assisting once. He made his professional debut on March 17, coming in as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati 2. Three days later, Hlyut scored in the opening round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago City SC. With his goal, Hlyut is believed to be the second-youngest player to ever score in the prestigious competition.
