ST. LOUIS– A 15 year-old from Columbia, Ill. will have a special place in St. Louis’ inaugural season in Major League Soccer.

CITY SC announced Monday that it signed forward Caden Glover as the franchise’s first Homegrown player, to a five-year MLS contract through 2027.

Glover came from the St. Louis CITY Academy. He’s played for the U.S. Youth National team and also saw playing time with CITY2 in the MLS Next Pro league last year.

“We are very proud to sign Caden as our first-ever Homegrown,” said Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel in a statement released by the team. “Caden showed us a lot this past season, playing for the U-17s as a 15-year-old, getting his first professional minutes with CITY2, earning his first call-up and scoring a goal for the U15 US Youth National team. We hope to see his development continue to progress.”

According to MLS, at least eight players have signed league contracts before turning 15. The youngest signed on his 14th birthday last February. The youngest player to appear in a MLS match was Freddy Adu, who was 14 when he played for DC United in 2004.

Homegrown players don’t count against an MLS club’s senior roster and do not count against the league’s salary cap.

St. Louis CITY SC begins its inaugural training camp this week. The season opener is on the road against Austin February 25.