Today, Atlanta United announced the signing of 16-year old midfielder Cooper Sanchez to a professional contract with Atlanta United 2 through the end of the 2025 season. The contract converts into a Homegrown deal in 2026 with team options for 2027 and 2028.
Sanchez was the youngest player to ever make his debut for Atlanta United 2 at just 15 years old (and 27 days) in 2023, when he appeared in two matches. He is a versatile midfielder, preferring to play the 8 but usable anywhere on the field. For example, he was a #10 in Atlanta’s preseason match against the Birmingham Legion. Fans may remember Sanchez at that game for his aggression and fouling, and while he wasn’t disciplined then, his usual style of aggression is similar to Luke Brennan. Scarves and Spikes writer Grey Gowder describes Sanchez as a player who “has above-average field awareness, passing, and an understanding for the flow of the game that surpasses what you would expect for a player his age”.
Sanchez was an Academy standout and led the U-16s to the MLS NEXT Cup with a goal in the final. He also has both the United States and Mexican National Teams fighting over his services, with the U.S. naming him in May to the U-16 games against Uruguay and Argentina that were part of the lead-up to the 2025 U-17 CONCACAF Championship and World Cup.
Sanchez’s deal will be structured similar to another United homegrown, Ashton Gordon, with the youngster spending 1-2 years with the 2’s before joining the professional squad. He joins Gordon and Matt Edwards as Homegrown signings announced in 2024.
Congratulations to Cooper Sanchez on his first professional contract!
[…] Cooper Sanchez signing with Atlanta United 2, becomes Homegrown in 2026 […]
this is awesome news. kid just popped up on my radar recently so i don’t know much about him myself. but from what i’ve read, he is exactly the kind of young, promising talent we need to be investing in!
Fantastic news. This is the level of prospect you want to lock up for the future.