Atlanta United 2 today announced it has signed defender Patrick Nielsen. He was originally drafted by Atlanta United with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
“Patrick joins us following a successful college career, and we are excited to see him grow at the professional level,” said ATL UTD 2 head coach Stephen Glass. “We will push him to emulate the successes of fellow center backs that have recently come through Atlanta United 2 and featured for the First Team.”
Nielsen, 23, is a center back from Michigan State where he played for the last two seasons. The Copenhagen, Denmark native totaled 33 appearances with three goals and three assists while being named to the First Team All-Big Ten in 2018 and the Second Team in 2019. Nielsen started all 23 games for the Spartans in 2018 and anchored a backline that allowed just 22 goals in 23 games.
The defender helped lead the team to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2018 after he assisted the game-winning goal against James Madison in the Elite Eight and scored against Akron in the Semifinals. Nielsen transferred to Michigan State after attending Cincinnati in 2016 where he played 17 matches and recorded two assists.
The USL Championship is scheduled to re-start on Saturday, July 11 with a schedule still to be released. Atlanta United 2 was placed in Group H alongside Charleston Battery, Miami FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies and will play each of those teams four times. For more information on the competition structure, click here.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Patrick Nielsen
Position: Defender
Height: 6-4
Birthdate: Sept. 18, 1996 (age: 23)
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Nationality: Denmark
Transaction: Signed with ATL UTD 2 on June 29, 2020. He was drafted by Atlanta United with No. 23 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
