Fall often means the beginning of seasons for some sports but for MLS NEXT Pro the regular season ends in October. With another season in the books, let’s look back at what Atlanta United 2 achieved during a busy year.
How did the team do?
Atlanta United 2 finished its 2024 campaign with a record of 7-14-7 with 32 points and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference table. This marked the inaugural year of the Southeast division, which Atlanta played in along side clubs like Crown Legacy FC, Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC, Inter Miami II, and Orlando City SC. It was head coach Steve Cooke’s second year with the club.
Notable Matches
Atlanta United 2 had several notable matches throughout the 2024 season. ATL UTD 2 earned its first clean sheet of the season in a 4-0 win over independent club Carolina Core FC on March 24; the first one since a 0-0 draw against Toronto FC II in June 2023. Atlanta’s 4 goals also tied for the second most in club history in MLS NEXT Pro play.
ATL UTD 2 took down regional rivals and independent club Chattanooga FC, who sat at the top of MLSNP at the time of the match, in a 1-0 victory at home on April 24.
They went on to have two great road wins, both coming against Huntsville City FC, another rival of theirs. In the first matchup on May 18, the club walked away with a 3-2 victory with goals from Javier Armas, Miles Hadley and Karim Tmimi while goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert made eight saves, tying him for second most in a match in club history in MLSNP play. In the second matchup on July 27, ATL came away with a 2-1 win. Striker Rodrigo Neri, who played his second match with the club, scored a second half brace in just three minutes to secure the win.
ATL UTD 2 strung together its first ever winning streak after its 2-1 victory over Toronto FC II, its third straight win, on August 23. Atlanta continued its unbeaten streak the next week with a 1-1 draw at Inter Miami CF II.
After back-to-back 4-1 losses to Orlando and Carolina Core, Atlanta went on the road to face rivals Chattanooga FC on September 1. Atlanta come back from a 2-1 deficit and win the match 4-3 in the 99th minute. Alan Carleton scored his third goal and assist of the year, Ashton Gordon scored his first professional goal in the second half, and midfielder Javier Armas became the only ATL UTD 2 player to appear in all 2,070 minutes this season thus far.
Players that shined
Several players had took big steps for during the 2024. From iron man streaks to first goals to getting playing time on the first team. Javier Armas became first ATL UTD 2 player to appear in every minute of a season, totaling 2,520 minutes over 28 matches.
Alan Carleton made his Atlanta United First Team debut on May 21 in a U.S. Open Cup match versus Charleston Battery. Carleton checked in during extra time as the team went on to win in penalties. He went on to score his first professional goals in a 3-2 win over New England Revolution II on Augst 23. Carleton recorded a brace after scoring in the 36th and 38th minute.
Matt Edwards
Edwards began his career in Atlanta United Academy before going to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hilland returning on an MLS NEXT Pro deal.
- Signed a Homegrown contract with Atlanta United on June 21.
- Signed the maximum of four Short-Term Agreements with Atlanta United’s First Team for matches against Toronto (March 23), Charlotte Independence (May 6), Charleston Battery (May 21) and DC United (June 19).
- Made his Atlanta United debut against Charlotte Independence in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32
- Served as captain of ATL UTD 2 until he signed his Homegrown deal.
Ashton Gordon was called up to the Jamaican U-20 squad to compete in the Concacaf U-20 Championships back in July. He made three appearances and one start in Jamaica’s three matches. He made his Atlanta United debut against Charlotte Independence in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32.
Jayden Hibbert set an ATL UTD 2 single-season saves record with 89 saves across 19 matches. Along the way, he set a club record 13 saves in a 1-1 draw at Inter Miami CF II. Hibbert also saved a penalty in the shootout in a 4-3 shootout win.
Kaiden Moore signed a professional contract that will have him play with ATL UTD 2 through 2025 before becoming a Homegrown player on Jan. 1, 2026. He made professional debut against Philadelphia Union II on April 15 and scored his first professional goal against Toronto FC II on Aug. 11.
Adyn Torres
- was selected to play in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game in Columbus.
- became the first and only player in Atlanta United history to begin at the Regional Development School (RDS) level and move through the entire ATL UTD Player Development Pathway. Regional Development School, is a tryout-based program focused on creating high level training environments to push and challenge advanced level players.
- made his Atlanta United debut against Charlotte Independence in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 in a 3-0 win. Also played in the club’s Round of 16 match at Charleston Battery.
Cooper Sanchez became the youngest debutant in club history at 15 years and 27 days. He made his debut in a 2-0 win against Chicago Fire II on March 22, 2023.
The youth is the future
Development is a huge part of the Atlanta United system. As a matter of fact, the Atlanta United Academy started playing matches months before the first team ever had a player or even a head coach. Atlanta United became the first team to ever field five homegrowns at the same time.
That was at Atlanta United’s away 1-0 win vs D.C. United. Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Jay Fortune, and Efrain Morales - four of the five players - all made multiple apperances for Atlanta United this year, but not before earning their stripes with the second team at some point during their professional careers. Brennan, Morales, and Cobb along with other homegrowns like Tyler Wolff and Nick Firmino logged substanial minutes for ATL UTD 2 during this season.
