CARY, N.C. – North Carolina FC announced on Thursday the first two international transfers in its club’s history, sending defender Adrian Pelayo to Liga MX club Chivas de Guadalajara and forward Julian Placias to Belgian club K.V.C. Westerlo. Terms of the transfer agreements will remain confidential, and the transactions are pending league and federation approval.

The teenagers signed with North Carolina FC in the past 12 months 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,” said NCFC Head Coach and Sporting Director John Bradford. “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.”

The two transactions continue the current trend in the USL Championship that has seen young talented players make the move to non-domestic clubs in recent years. Since the start of July, 2023, the league has seen players such as former Louisville City FC center back Joshua Wynder join Benfica, former Orange County SC forward Korede Osundina join Feyenoord, and 2022 Golden Boot winner Milan Iloski join FC Nordsjaelland.

Last week the league’s 2023 Young Player of the Year Fidel Barajas, previously of the Charleston Battery, completed a move to Chivas de Guadalajara following his transfer this offseason to Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.

“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,” said USL Head of Global Football Development and Sporting Director Oliver Wyss. “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.”

Pelayo signed with NCFC in September 2023, having previously played for the Portland Timbers Academy and the club’s MLS NEXT Pro reserve team. 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 also played the full 90 minutes in the team’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round win over MLS NEXT Pro side 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.