Grade Atlanta United’s 2021 MLS SuperDraft performance

The 2021 MLS SuperDraft has come and gone, and Atlanta United sure had an interesting day. The team traded out of it’s No. 5 overall selection to receive GAM, and yet still ended up with one of the top three center backs (according to most pundits) in the draft class. That’s in addition to the signing of Machop Chol on a homegrown player deal from Wake Forest — a player Atlanta’s Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said would’ve been a top-15 pick.

Let’s recap Atlanta’s draft summary:

• Atlanta signs Machop Chol to a Homegrown Player deal on the eve of the draft (yes, this signing was not a draft event, but since Chol was a college player and his signing clearly played a role in the actions the team took Thursday, we’re including him.
• Atlanta United traded the No. 5 and No. 32 overall picks to D.C. United in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and the 31st overall pick.
• Atlanta United selects defender Josh Bauer from the University of New Hampshire in the second round (No. 31 overall)
• Atlanta United selects midfielder Aiden McFadden from the University of Notre Dame in the third round (No. 59 overall)

Now, I know you’re not very familiar with these college players and their value can be difficult to assess. Hell, McFadden told reporters he didn’t even know he was going to be picked! With that said, we thought it’d be fun to do a little straw poll. So please vote and let us know what you think of the moves.