Horton: Charles Andrew (Charlie)

2015-2016 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Lambeth, London: 14-09-1994

Debut: : N/A:

6' 5' 12st 0lb (2015)

While Horton was born in London, he left at the age of nine when his family moved to Hunting Valley, Ohio, USA. He started with the IMG Academy Youth team in the 2009-10 season. The following season at the age of fifteen, while still only 5'8", he had trials with Chelsea and Manchester United but was told to return when he gained height. He returned to Ohio and joined Clevelands International Youth, where he stayed for three seasons. He gained a soccer scholarship at North Carolina University, but turned it down and decided on a move to sign for Peterborough United after a trial at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. At London Road, Manager Darren Ferguson set Horton the target of challenging to be the club's number one within six months of arriving. At the age of eighteen, though, he fell short and did not make a first team appearance. He did, however, start twelve games for Kettering Town, after he was loaned to them in that season and also started one and came on as a half-time replacement for Joe Lynch in a second Reserve game for Posh. He had signed for Peterborough on a three-year contract, but moved on and to Cardiff City at the start of the 2014-15 season. He had by now grown at a rapid rate and stood a full 6'4". While he did not make the first team at Cardiff, he did gain three caps for USA at the Under-Twenty-Three level, despite being still only Twenty-years-of-age. He made his debut when he started and played a full game against the Bosnia & Herzegovina Under-Twenty-One side in a 5-2 away win at Tusanj Stadium in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 27th March 2015. In his second game he was wihdrawn at half-time for substitute Tyler Miller of Sounders, in a 0-1 defeat by Denmark Under-Twenty-Ones at Lyngby Stadion, Denmark, four days later. His third came two months later, on 31st May 2015, in a 1-2 defeat by Costa Rica Under-Twenty-Threes, in which he played a full game, at the Stade Louis Hon, Saint- Raphaël, Var, France, in the Toulon Tournament in which USA beat England 2-1 in the Third Place Play- off on 7th June 2015 as Horton watched from the bench. It was after this game that he signed a two year deal that took him to Leeds United to become Uwe Rosler's first signing for the club on 9th June 2015. The twenty-year-old immediately made it know that he considered Leeds an EPL prospect as he said "Any time you can come to a club like Leeds, where all the players are hungry for success and hungry to move up the table, that's every player's dream," Horton told the club's official website. "I used to grow up, when I was young living in England, watching Mark Viduka and those kind of players play back then in the Premier League. "The stadium is unbelievable, the training ground is unbelievable. The facilities here are first-class. Now it's our job as players to get the club back to where it belongs." Based on a few very important references, Rosler admitted to being delighted with the capture of Horton, who backstopped the US Under-Twenty-Three national team to a Toulon Tournament bronze- medal game victory over England on Sunday. "We had Charlie on our radar through our goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis," said Rosler. "He had worked with him at Cardiff. "I know the manager and assistant manager of the USA team and they gave him a glowing reference. He has fantastic physical attributes and is a really positive character." Though Horton will begin the upcoming season playing with the reserves, Rosler revealed that he will bring the youngster to preseason camp. "He will push the guys in front of him and he will get playing time in the Under-Twenty-Ones," said the Leeds manager. "He will train everyday with the first team. He has very good potential and will be a future No. 1. He's a first-team player playing in the Under-Twenty-Ones." When signed he appeared to be the only serious challenger for Marco Silvestri's goalkeepers spot. However after being given a chance as a seventy-fourth minute substitute in the opening friendly with Harrogate Town, on 10th July 2015, the signing of Ross Turnbull five days later saw him drop to third in the list. Rosler kept his word and he sat unused on the bench at York City and he took him on the clubs European tour when he and Turnbull both sat on the bench for the two games against Eintracht Frankfurt and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He did play at Frickley Athletic for the Development squad as they were beaten 1-3 but he gave way to Eric Grimes after sixty-two minutes in the team's 1-2 defeat at North Ferriby United, but he again sat unused in the final first team friendly in a 2-0 win over Everton on 1st August 2015, while Eric Grimes and Bailey Peacock-Farrell the first and second choice for the Development squad on the same day. It could be a matter of insufficient game time with Horton apparently third choice in first team, while Irish International Grimes and Bailey Peacock-Farrell get game time in the Development squad. Horton was picked for the USA Olympic squad, as one of three goalkeepers in the twenty man squad, for the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic qualifying championshipdue to take place in the first two weeks of October 2015, along with former Leeds player, Gboly Ariyibi. He gained his fourth cap for the USA Under-Twenty -One team on 11th December 2015 when he started the 1-2 defeat by Brazil at Estadio Adelmar da Costa Carvalho in Recife when he was replaced at half time by Jon Kempin of Kansas. At Leeds he was third choice behind Marco Silvestre and Ross Turnbull and sat on the bench for seven consecutive matches starting with the home fixture with Brighton and Hove Albion on 17th October 2015 after Turnbull had sustained a long term injury. It therefore came as a shock when this came to a halt when he announced that he was returning to the U.S.A. "for family reasons" on 24th November 2015. on 29th February 2016 it was announced that D.C. United had acquired goalkeeper Charlie Horton from New England Revolution in exchange for General Allocation Money in a sign-and-trade. He was loaned to Richmond Kickers but was injured and not allowed to play due to concussion for two months and finally made his debut for them on 1st June 2016 in the US Open Cup against Fort Lauderdale when the home team won through 3-1 on penalties.