DUNWOODY, Ga. — Christian Carrillo, the goalkeeper for the Atlanta United Academy U-15 team, died Sunday morning in a car crash, according to his family.
Christian made it to the academy at U-12 and went through the ranks all the way to U-15. His family, teammates, and coach said soccer ran in his veins.
"Every game, you can trust Christian," said Academy Goalkeeper Coach Diego Casillas. "Every game you are going to trust Christian, that he was going to do the right thing in the right moment. We had the goalkeeping position secured."
The 14-year-old died early Sunday morning in a car accident on I-285 near Dunwoody, while coming back home after a family get-together.
“He had so many things to accomplish and his life was cut short," said Christian's cousin, Clarissa Meraz. "We were just so saddened...why him?”
Christian's family said his 17-year-old brother was driving towards Exit 30 when another car was driving towards them with the lights off. That's when they swerved to avoid that vehicle, hitting a median, and flipping the car over, according to their uncle, Mario Antunez.
"About a week ago he gave me the huge news that he got called up to a national team camp for a U-15 of the USA. He was going somewhere big. I was just ready to be in that crowd screaming his name, really sad that we won't be able to see that. But we know he gave it all he had," Antunez said.
Christian's brother survived and had minor scratches and bruises.
"We are blessed to have him," Antunez said. "That's also a blessing that we take into consideration. Obviously, one outweighs the other because of the circumstances, but we are also blessed and thankful for him being okay and with us."
Christian's teammates, Alexander Serrano, Jesse Garcia, Joseph Gonzalez, Landon Zuniga, and several others, joined the family Monday night to pay tribute to Christian on a Zoom call with 11Alive.
"He was basically our savior, our hero," said Serrano. "Every single time he made us feel comfortable. Made us feel stronger as a team."
Another teammate, Nathan Gray, couldn't make it to the Zoom call but wrote:
"He's one of the sweetest and most kindhearted people I've ever met. He always has the biggest smile on his face and just lights up a whole room. It's truly heartbreaking that we lost him. It just doesn't feel real. He had such a promising future and had so much more to give. Not only did we lose a friend but also a brother. Words cannot express how much he means to not just me but everyone he touched."
All the teammates said that when it comes to goalkeeping on the soccer field, Christian was like a "brick wall."
"Christian would always humble us to our limits," said Gonzalez. "He was one of our best goalkeepers."
Off the field, he was a brother to three siblings, and a loving son to his mother.
"We come from nothing really," explained Antunez. "We're very family-oriented. His mom has been through a struggle almost her whole life and Christian, when he knew what he was and where he was going, he knew that he was gonna get his mom and his brothers and his little sister out out of that world. He was determined to get this woman out of that lifestyle, and to give her that better life that she deserves."
During the pandemic, the team had to find other ways to make it to the games. Christian's mother made sure to drive countless hours to get him there.
"There was no team bus... there was no airplane anymore," Antunez explained. "You have to get your kid over there. It's six hours away, it's five hours or eight hours away. We have a game at this time but she made it happen."
They all knew how big Christian's love was for soccer.
His brother, 23-year-old Jordi Carrillo, said he remembers Christian growing up with a ball nearby at all times.
"You throw anything to this boy and he was competitive. Everywhere we went there was competition involved," Jordi said. "I love my brother. He loved joking around, always made us laugh. He was so dedicated to the sport, and he had so much to accomplish."
The academy goalkeeper coach, Diego Casillas, remembers first coaching Christian, saying "I was looking forward to work with now Christian. He's just a big goofy kid, big afro, taking up half the goal and just just with a smile on his face doing what he loves to do."
Casillas explained that 12 hours before the car accident, Christian and his team were celebrating on the soccer field after a big win against their rivals in Charlotte.
"We were celebrating just hours before and then the next day we get the tragic news of Christian passing and it's difficult," Casillas added. "It really puts things into perspective for the coaches and for the players that we can't take any day for granted. The one thing that we all have in common is we love the game and we can't take this game for granted."
That's why the team still plans on playing its next scheduled game in Miami. Casillas said they will be playing with Christian in mind and in heart.
"He was just trying to be the best he could be every single day," Casillas said about Christian. "Once he was here, he knew that he could make a lot of people proud... his family proud. I think that helped him a lot. I think what Christian showed all of us is the sacrifice that it takes to be in this academy and to be successful in it."
Christian's uncle said the whole family was planning on going to Miami to watch him play.
"We were supposed to be renting a big van for all of us to go to Miami next weekend to support him and his team," he said. "Now we're over here. We just came today from the funeral picking out a coffin. These funeral expenses... oh my gosh... it's expensive. It is insane."
That's why the family has set up a fundraiser to help with these expenses.
"We did it because of the struggle his mom has gone throughout her life," Antunez said. "She barely gets through and right now she is just... you can imagine."
The team also put out a statement on behalf of Club President Darren Eales:
"We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic death of Christian Carrillo. A member of our U-15s, Christian’s attitude epitomized what our Academy is about, and our entire organization joins the Carrillo family in grieving his loss. He was a young, talented goalkeeper who infused our entire program with positivity and leadership. On behalf of Atlanta United and everyone at AMB Sports and Entertainment, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
"I just hope we can get everybody's prayer," Meraz added. "He deserves to be known by everybody. I just hope he knows how much we loved him and how we always knew he was going to shine and grow big and be the star that he is."
To donate to the family of Christian Carrillo, click here.