Julian Gressel’s remarkable rookie season set him as a class apart from the other SuperDraft picks this year, but he’s not the only Rookie of the Year walking the halls of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground.
Before he was Atlanta United’s Vice President and Technical Director, Carlos Bocanegra was the number 4 pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft. The UCLA graduate was named the MLS Rookie of the Year after establishing himself as an instant starter in a Chicago Fire back line that made it to the MLS Cup Final and won the U.S. Open Cup. He would grow into one of the best defenders the U.S. has ever produced, winning MLS Defender of the Year twice before continuing the bulk of his career in Europe.
Photo Credit: Chicago Fire
Five years after Bocanegra lifted the trophy, it was Atlanta United’s captain Michael Parkhurst that was named the best rookie in Major League Soccer. He went to Wake Forest in college, where he was a three-time All-ACC selection and an ACC Defender of the Year, and much like Bocanegra, Parky’s cerebral play made him an instant success. He played every minute of the New England Revolution’s 2005 regular season – one of only five players in the league to do so – and committed just six fouls over the course of the entire season. He would also play in all four of the team’s playoff matches, going all the way to the MLS Cup Final before falling in extra time to the LA Galaxy. He would win the 2007 MLS Defender of the Year Award before a six-year stint in Europe, and just earned his fifth MLS All-Star selection this season with Atlanta United.
Photo Credit: ISI
That of course brings us to Atlanta United’s third Rookie of the Year, Julian Gressel. Gressel was picked 8th overall in the MLS SuperDraft in 2017 after combining for 56 goals and assists in 83 appearances at Providence College. He started the first game in Atlanta United history, making 32 appearances for the team overall in five different positions. He finished with nine assists – the third-most in MLS history for a rookie – and five goals, tallying the highest combined goal and assist total in the league among rookies in 2017.
From the front office to team leadership to the team’s first rookie, Atlanta United is creating a culture of on-field success. Let’s hope it’s not the last time the club is celebrating having the best rookie in MLS.
