15-year-old Michael Cardo scored twice for Sheffield United and trained with Accrington Stanley after impressing at several of our events.

Michael, who has a dual American and Portuguese passport, first came to our camp in April 2017 and returned again this year, before we flew to his hometown of New York City to hold another trial in June.

The exciting wing-back impressed each time we saw him and UK Football Trials were able to place him into both clubs last month.

Michael flew to England and played twice for Sheffield United before undergoing a training session at Accrington Stanley’s Academy.

Speaking in early December, Michael reflected on his time in England and labelled it an “incredible experience.”

“I was there for three days in total,” said Michael.

“I had the opportunity to be involved with two great clubs and it was an incredible experience.

“In the first game for Sheffield United I played 90 minutes at left-back and we lost 4-3, but then in the second game I was on the wing and scored two goals in a 5-4 win.”

He continued: “I really enjoyed it, the coaches were happy with my performance and the standard was much different to over here in America.
“And at Accrington, the facilities were very nice and I had a training session at the academy which went well too.”

We asked Michael why he keeps coming back to UK Football Trials and his response was emphatic.

“The camp resembles an academy quite closely,” he replied.

“It’s a really good experience for anyone who wants to get scouted.”

Michael has now returned home to America and continues to play for his local side FC Westchester.