Atlanta United Academy

2021 NCAA College Soccer Preview: Tracking Every Atlanta United Alumnus

A look ahead at the college season for Atlanta United’s Academy alumni

By Grey_Gowder Aug 17, 2021, 11:50am EDT

2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship

Welcome back, everyone. It is August again, so that means it is the start of a massive amount of academy-related news. To start, let’s check in with our diaspora of former academy players populating the college game.

You may recognize quite a few of these players from Atlanta United 2, Homegrown Player predictions, or previous previews and recaps of collegiate athletics. They are (mostly) all here and they are ready to resume (somewhat) normal playing conditions after what proved to be a highly tumultuous college season. This year, most (if not all) programs seem set to play both Fall and Spring seasons in pursuit of the ultimate prize of an NCAA championship.

Just a few months ago, Atlanta United graduated their first class of collegiate seniors with Machop Chol and Bryce Washington returning to the club on Homegrown Player contracts. Washington has already proven to be an intriguing future option for Atlanta United’s defensive depth with his ability to play as both a central defender and as a right-back. Chol has had a more challenging first professional season but has gained valuable learning experience that will make him a better player in the long run.

The Seniors

This year’s class of seniors is larger than the last and has a few players who could earn Homegrown contracts with Atlanta United. A few more could have a future in the USL Championship or be the first ever academy graduate selected in the MLS Superdraft. The club saw their first former academy player enter the draft last season and could see a few more this year.

At the top of this Senior class is Clemson’s trust left-back, Charlie Asensio. If you have been following our NCAA recaps and Homegrown signing predictions, you should already be familiar with him. Asensio enters his senior season this fall as a 4-year starter for the Clemson defense and has remained a quiet but constant presence for the team on and off of the field. He has a championship pedigree, racking up accolades with the Clemson Tigers and the Atlanta United academy. He is a leader for his team, an intelligent and technical player who can read the game at a high level, and a fullback who possesses an advanced positional sixth sense that helps him manage the left flank. He is not the flashiest or shiftiest player at his position but brings a lot of intangibles and intuition to the position that will help him adjust to the professional game.

If you are looking for a talented player with a lot to prove and a desperate need to be on a better team, look no further than UCLA’s goalkeeper, Justin Garces. Garces’ addition to the academy was a huge coup for Tony Annan. Garces was a United States youth international goalkeeper with the U-17s and met with a lot of suitors before choosing to move to Atlanta from Miami. Garces played extensively for the United States’s youth program alongside Andrew Carleton and Chris Goslin with the U-17s, and more recently, Garces with the U-20s and the U-19s following his sole youth World Cup experience with the U-17s in India. UCLA has been dreadful during Garces’s three years with the program and that is of no fault of his own. Garces has faced a high volume of shots and racked up 125 saves across nearly 3900 minutes, allowing only 73 goals. His heroism has held his team’s defense together and kept UCLA alive in games that should have been even more lopsided. He has the experience, humility, and toughness to succeed at the next level, so Atlanta may be very tempted to give him that chance.

Will Crain (Brown) was voted team captain by his teammates ahead of his senior season. “While he was sidelined and recovering from surgery during the 2019 season, Will demonstrated great leadership from a difficult position,” Coach Patrick Laughlin said. “He has been at the forefront of our team as we have navigated all the twists and turns caused by the pandemic.” Crain has not played much during college due to his injury-shortened Sophomore season and the pandemic canceling his Junior season so he will need to answer a lot of questions in his final year of college eligibility. As a former captain for Atlanta United’s academy teams from 2016-2018, Crain has the competitive drive to get back out there if he gets the chance. He was one of the first two academy players chosen to play for the 2s, after all.

Like Justin Garces, Aldair Cortes desperately needed a new home. With Georgia Southern going nowhere, Cortes transferred to High Point University. High Point is an ascendant small-school program led by Coach Zach Haines. When it was announced Cortes was joining his program, Haines heaped praise on Cortes, saying, “He has produced wherever he plays, and will give us another great option in our attack. His ability on restarts is extremely high level, as well as his finishing in and around the box. We are excited to get to work with Aldair in August.” Cortes has experience as a fullback, central and holding midfielder, and most recently as a wing for the USL League Two side Lionsbridge FC. Cortes is one to watch and could return to the 2s if he is not selected in the draft.

Our final two seniors stayed in Atlanta to pursue their college careers. Defender Clayton Dawes and winger Victor Pereyra-Zavala look to continue GSU’s recent run of success in the Sun Belt Conference and beyond. GSU loves to play with three centerbacks so Dawes will likely line up centrally with sophomore phenom Alex Henderson and senior George Proctor. Pereyra-Zavala likely begins the season as an impact sub off of the bench but may get some starts during the Fall season’s schedule congestion.

The Juniors

This Junior class is strong. In fact, it is probably the deepest group of academy alumni to remain outside of the organization. There are players in every position group who could make a case for a Homegrown contract in 2023. This is the class that will most likely make the first major impact on the Superdraft and in the USL.

Forwards

Clemson center forward and 2020 team captain James Brighton is probably at the top of this trio of very talented strikers. He is a big man with a big personality. Brighton uses his large and powerful frame to control the game around the opponent’s defensive box, winning jump balls, holding up well, and winning rebounds around the 6-yard box. Following the departures of a deep group of upperclassmen in the 2021 Superdraft, Brighton emerged from his role as a super-sub to take Clemson back to the College Playoffs. Brighton is a Redshirt Junior, meaning that he is a year older than his peers, and should use that added experience to lead this new group of Clemson players in pursuit of another Atlantic Coastal Conference title.

Penn State forward Liam Butts got a lot of attention ahead of the 2021 spring season garnering predictions that he may win college soccer’s top award for scorers. An injury kept him from getting going until late in the year but he carried enough momentum into the offseason to make us all excited to see this talented and hungry striker look to make up for what he will feel was a down year. Butts is a tall and quick forward capable of effectively playing with the ball at his feet and receiving it on the run. He is capable of plenty of heroics and fireworks, using exquisite volleys to earn results for the Nittany Lions. Once again, Butts will enter the season as a player to watch.

Jeremiah Luoma is proof that America’s 4th division has real value in developing players. While at Georgia Southern, Luoma had earned some scant minutes in the Eagles’ midfield but never made much of an impression. That all changed this summer with the NPSL’s most exciting new team Appalachian FC. With the Squatches, Luoma played up top as both a center forward and as a False-9 at times and seemed to come alive. Now with new attacking confidence thanks to his All-Southeast Conference Best Xl Selection, Luoma returns to a college program desperately in need of a spark of inspiration. He brings speed, an improved touch, and now the experience to potentially help turn Georgia Southern’s program around.

Midfielders

Wake Forest’s crafty holding midfielder Takuma Suzuki is one of our favorite players in this pool. He is cool and calm under pressure, offers strong distribution of the ball from the #6 position, and can help control the game by retaining possession and by breaking up opponents’ attempts to move through the midfield. He does almost everything that you would want to see from an Atlanta United-style central midfielder and could offer a compelling option as Santiago Sosa’s back-up in a year or two with a hint of Rossetto and Nagbe for good measure.

Wake Forest’s other exciting young midfielder is Omar Hernandez. Hernandez plays as both a #10 and as an attack-minded #8 in Coach Bobby Muuss’s 4-3-3 set up. He had a coming-out party of sorts in his second season with the Demon Deacons as a strong class of upperclassmen midfielders and other Homegrown prospects departed for the professional game. After the draft opened playing time for Hernandez, he went on a rampage to seal his claim over Wake Forest’s attacking midfield position. With his outstanding play and goalscoring form, he should be an intriguing player to watch in his upcoming Junior campaign. Hernandez played briefly for Atlanta United’s academy while also featuring for Chattanooga. It is not clear whether he is eligible for a Homegrown contract but after the season he has had, it would not be a stretch to think Atlanta’s scouting department is watching him and some of his fellow teammates closely.

Dylan Gaither has emerged as a leader for the Mercer Bears. In just his third year, he brings to bear a wealth of experience at the #10 position from Atlanta United 2, two full years of starting for Mercer, and now a summer with the Georgia Revolution in the NPSL. In many ways, Gaither elevates the level of play around him through his own movements, shooting ability, and ability to move teammates into dangerous positions through the focus opposing defenses have to place on him. Gaither needs to continue improving on his decision-making and his ball retention but he is well on his way to being one of the top players in the Southern Conference.

Defenders

Luke Mitchell often gets overlooked in favor of his highly touted former Atlanta United 2 and academy teammate Kendall Edwards, but Mitchell has already cemented himself as a top young centerback with Creighton in the Big East Conference. In his sophomore season at Creighton, Mitchell played in 10 matches for Creighton’s defense, starting 9. This came after being one of the few Freshmen in Creighton’s history to play over 1000 minutes in his first season. He continued his impressive rise through Creighton’s defense and should continue to make a major impact for Creighton over his remaining seasons of eligibility. Now entering his third year, Mitchell will anchor a team that narrowly missed its shot at a conference championship and a ticket to the post-season. He is another one of our players who does not often show up on the stat sheet but can consistently be counted on for strong play and for doing the little things that get unnoticed. By the time he graduates in two years, Mitchell could be one of the best defenders in the country.

Kendall Edwards needs to have a big year. After playing a big part in the Atlanta United 2 defense as an academy player, Kendall Edwards has largely fallen off of the map with NC State. It may be injuries or competition at the position or some other factor that we do not know about, but he has yet to get a consistent run of starting minutes for the Wolfpack. Now entering his third season in the program, things have got to change for the talented central defender. Maybe this year is the year that he finally breaks out.

Ousman Jabang had a productive season for Mercer with 9 starts across 10 matches played after appearing in 19 of 21 matches in his freshman season. Jabang offers versatility by playing as both a defender and a midfielder for Mercer and continued to show that in his time this summer with the Georgia Revolution. He has mostly been a role player so far and will look to get more opportunities to cement himself as a fixture in the Mercer rotation this fall.

Keepers

Atlanta United has highly intriguing collegiate depth at the goalkeeper position. Russell Shealy is one of those college goalkeepers who is giving some fans and members of the organization plenty to be interested in. After falling out of favor at Maryland, Shealy transferred to Syracuse and finally found a place to shine. Shealy finally found some consistency, and with that came better form. The big break may have come with his first career shutout in a scoreless draw against the University of North Carolina. That kind of performance is something to build on. To his credit, Shealy defers a lot of credit for his success to his teammates, often praising their selfless defensive play to stymie opposing attackers. Shealy’s emergence seems to have not gone unnoticed as he became part of a bevy of former academy players headed to the Georgia Revolution (NPSL) for the summer season. He got a few starts for the Revs but the key is that he continues to grow in maturity and confidence heading into a pivotal season for his future.