Representing the 5-Stripes is an incredibly proud act. Putting on the kit and stepping out onto the pitch, you’re wearing the city of Atlanta on your heart.
Every player knows this privilege well, but it means even more for those select few from the Atlanta metroplex. For those Homegrowns — who grew up on the Connector, at Piedmont or Centennial Park, in and around the 404 — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Will Reilly didn’t show an ounce of nerves. You would’ve thought he was a 10-year veteran the way he was moving.
“Will was unbelievable, debut game, you can't do more than that," head coach Ronny Deila said after the match. "He had the mentality I'm looking for.”
It was just that, the mentality, that set him apart from the rest when he made his MLS debut for his boyhood club at just 22 years old. The Decatur native had every reason to be nervous, shaken, uneasy, but no. That’s not how he operates.
It was the 92nd minute. Reilly made an interception in his own box. He played a one-two with Mateusz Klich, but his touch was a little too far out in front of him. FC Cincinnati defender Lukas Engel pursued the ball, and it looked like he was going to get to it before Reilly. Not so fast. Reilly slid and stuck out a leg, winning the ball cleanly and playing it out wide and out of danger. In his own box. In the 92nd minute.
That gutsy lunge is not something every 22-year-old would do in that game scenario. But Reilly isn’t every 22-year-old. He’s been at it for so long he’s built up the confidence enough to assert himself in moments like that.
“That’s it, staying in control,” Reilly said. “I’ve never gotten a red card since I was a little kid. I wasn’t too concerned, staying aggressive, not let that dictate my whole mentality. Keep getting into them and keep playing the way I play.”
In the double pivot, Reilly’s role was to win back, maintain and progress possession of the ball. Deila asks a lot of his two defensive midfielders because he knows he can count on them to deliver. Reilly did just that.
Reilly was composed, affirmative and active in everything he did. And he did a lot. Deila praised Reilly’s effort after the match saying he was one of the best players on the pitch. Atlanta United’s head of analytics Arjun Balaraman provided this jaw-dropping bundle of stats:
- Against Cincinnati, Will Reilly finished with 11 possession regains, including eight interceptions. 11 regains is the most from any midfielder at the club since 2021 and is tied for the most regains by any player in any match this season in MLS. Eight interceptions is also a league-high for the season and tied for the club-high since 2021.
Tenacious. That’s the first word that comes to mind to describe his performance Saturday. For a 22-year-old, he was fearless in pursuing the ball. He wasn’t afraid to push it forward either, playing a couple of roving through balls to his attackers.
Deila used a different T-word.
“Trustworthy is the number one word [for] him. That's what we need for everybody in good and bad times."
Reilly has been winning over his coaches for a while, starting when he became a member of Atlanta United’s inaugural Academy roster in 2016. He captained the U-17s and made his professional debut for Atlanta United 2 three years later in 2019. He played with the 2s for two calendar years before signing his letter of intent to play for Stanford men’s soccer.
In his four years at Stanford, Reilly became indispensable almost immediately. He played in 15 games his freshman season then from his sophomore year through graduation started every single match for the Cardinal.
He built a foundation of trust everywhere he went. His coaches and teammates around him knew they were getting a tireless worker and a leader. When he came back to Atlanta, back home, he didn’t take anything for granted.
“It’s super special, for sure,” Reilly said during his 17 Questions interview earlier this year. “I feel like, coming back, I have to earn my stripes again. I can’t just rely on previous work. But it’s definitely special coming back to a place where you’ve already put in so much time and work and getting to continue that process.”
Reilly didn’t know for sure that he would start until the Friday before the match but said he had a feeling he would be chosen for the starting XI — Bartosz Slisz’s absence due to the international break and Klich’s injury presented an opportunity.
Just because he didn’t show his nerves on the pitch doesn’t mean he didn’t feel them beforehand. But he loved it.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been a while since I had that nervous energy, the butterfly feeling,” Reilly said. “Definitely my sleep suffered a little bit.”
If Saturday was any indicator, it looks as if Reilly won’t just be a one-off start this season. Tristan Muyumba’s injury, which will sideline him for at least three weeks, is an unfortunate blow, but Reilly’s emergence comes just in time to fill his place.
His fellow defensive midfielder, Klich, played alongside him for the first time in the regular season when he came on for the final 10 minutes of the Cincinnati match. Their prowess together helped the 5-Stripes batten down the hatches and grab a late equalizer.
“I was really happy for him because he trained well all preseason, and he's a good player,” Klich said. “We need more players, and he stepped up. He played a really good game. I'm very happy for him, because he's also good guy, a hard-working guy, and he's got a future, definitely.”
Slisz will return, and Muyumba will get healthy, but Reilly’s performance may earn him more play time in this Atlanta United squad regardless. Deila will have a lot to think about with plenty of pieces at his disposal.
“I think we get a new player today with Will,” Deila said after the match. “He showed that he can perform on this level.”
Reilly reflected that ceaseless drive that he’s always had to prove himself worthy of his spot after the Cincinnati match.
“[It] starts on Tuesday in training again,” Reilly said. “Keep working my ass off every day, like I’ve been doing. I think the results generally follow through the process.”
