SACRAMENTO, Calif – As an aspiring professional, you are always waiting for your name to be called. One moment to prove yourself under the bright lights can crack open a door that you are meant to run through. 16-year-old Blake Willey received that call out of the blue. 

After signing an Academy Contract and starting to train with the first team, Willey, a promising midfielder Sacramento Republic FC Academy, was asked to travel and suit up for the team as they navigated a growing mid-season injury list. He made the trip to Las Vegas for a 2-1 Republic win, featuring on a USL Championship roster for the first time in his nascent professional career. 

Willey did not enter either of the two games he was rostered for during the 2023 season, but the trust placed in him by the coaching staff was a clear indicator of what was to come for the Sacramento native. Two years into his professional career, Willey is a fixture in the Republic’s midfield and a consistent call-up to the United States Youth National Team. 

Growing up in a soccer household, Willey had little say in what sport would be his favorite. 

“Ever since I could walk, my dad signed me up for the local peewee soccer league,” said Willey. “Ever since then I just fell in love with [the sport].” 

The Sacramento native played for his neighborhood club before joining Sacramento United. Willey remembers that in his first year at Sacramento United, he did not make the top team, the red team. Despite being around seven years old, his competitive nature left him frustrated and determined to make it to the highest level achievable. 

Today, Willey is the archetype of a playmaking central midfielder with a natural ability to distribute the ball around the pitch, but at first his attention was drawn to defense. 

“When I was younger, I was really defensive minded, I couldn’t have care less if we scored goals,” said Willey. “[At that age] there were better kids than me, so they put the best kids at midfield and forward, so they put me at left back and I was the kind of player to play my role if that’s where coach put me, that’s what I was going to do.” 

When Willey moved into the Sacramento Republic Academy system around age 10, he kept playing defense before his coach tried him at midfield. The main adjustment for him came with time on the ball, after getting accustomed to taking more time to read the field from his left back position.

“My first year playing midfield, I was also playing up an age group too, so [I was against] a lot of really athletic strong guys,” described Willey, “and I had to learn how to play quicker in the middle because if I took too long, they’re just going to shove me to the ground.” 

Often one of the physically smaller players in his age group, playing against older players was a difficult but fruitful challenge in Willey’s development. While he had to get up to speed on the physical aspects of sport, his soccer IQ has been a sharp tool in his pocket that helped him stand out while not being one of the biggest players on the pitch.

“I definitely made a lot of mistakes, but it’s good; it toughens you up because the first team guys don’t treat you like you’re 15-years-old,” said Willey. “If you make mistakes, they’re going to hold you accountable, and it builds your toughness. It’s important for them to see how you react if you make a mistake and see are you crumbling under the pressure to make more mistakes.” 

Having consistently competed against older and bigger players, the challenge of playing against professionals as a high schooler was something Willey could adapt to. 

“I scored a pretty nice goal one time in training, and the guys were giving the goalie a hard time for letting a 15-year-old score on him,” recalled Willey. 

Gaining his confidence training with the Republic first team while on an Academy Contract, Willey began to look at what the future might hold. Many players in the United States make their way to college, taking up the opportunity to get a degree and the college experience, while still playing competitive soccer. But for Willey, having already established himself as a future pro with his hometown club, staying local provided the clearest pathway to professional soccer. 

In November 2023, at 16-years-old, Willey signed a professional contract with Sacramento, actualizing a lifelong dream. 

“It was really exciting when I got that call [offering the professional contract], just knowing they believed in me. That was really awesome,” said Willey. 

Using Bellevue University, which provides one full scholarship to each professional USL team per season, Willey can make progress towards a college degree while continuing to chase his dreams playing soccer. This semester, Willey began studying sports management.

Willey made his debut for the first team during the second game of the 2024 season, subbing on late in a 1-0 win at Miami FC. He reflects that playing on the road was a good way to kick off his career as all the distractions that come with being a local product were not there to fluster him. 

“When I first started at home, I was definitely really nervous for that one, because at home everyone that you know is there, but once the game started, the pressure went away,” said Willey.

Willey entered nine games in 2024, dipping his toe into the waters of being a professional. This season, Willey has become an integral part of Sacramento’s success. Head coach Neill Collins joined the Republic for the 2025 season and said Willey’s play caught his eye during the preseason. 

“I felt he brought aspects we really needed,” said Collins, who’s started Willey in 20 of Sacramento’s 30 matches to date. 

The trust from the coaching staff and consistent minutes has made a huge difference in his play, according to Willey. 

“[This year] feels a lot better now that I’m getting a ton of minutes and it feels like I’m taking another huge step in my career,” said Willey. “I’m learning each game, and it feels really good to be a contributor to the team.” 

Collins and Quintanilla both praise Willey for his dedication to working hard and his fierce competitive nature. They will also point out that one thing Willey can add to his game is a little bit of selfishness. 

“He can always shoot more. He is a very unselfish player who works a lot for others and covers a lot of ground,” said Quintanilla. “Which is a very important piece on a team but doesn’t get in the storylines.” 

Willey has come up through the ranks at Sacramento has the same time as another Academy to Pro player, Chibuike Ukaegbu, who also signed a pro contract at 16-years-old on the same day as Willey. 

“It is cool to get this opportunity with one of your friends,” said Willey. “I’ve known Chibi for a long time. It’s not an easy journey, so it’s easier to go through it with someone else who’s doing the same thing.”

As his career in the USL Championship began to lift off, Willey was called into the United States U-18 Men’s National Team for the UEFA Friendship Cup in June. The tournament pitted the U.S. team against the top U-18 talent from Argentina, France, and Australia. The U.S. went undefeated, winning Group A, before taking down Portugal in the championship match. 

“It was super rewarding because I’ve done well in the USL games to the point where I think I deserved a chance,” said Willey. “It was really cool to go to Switzerland and see a lot of guys that I’ve been to previous camps with. We’re playing against top talents from across the world and we’re beating them or tying them; we’re holding our own against some of the best players in the world which is pretty cool to think about.” 

Now an established pro, Willey can turn his focus to continuing to develop his game as he aims to reach the highest levels he can. He has not lost sight of the passion that set him out on this journey in the first place. 

“It’s all about having a positive mindset because if I look back on my journey, I would say last season was a good year for learning; you’re going to have downs and that’s how you get better,” said Willey.

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