ATL UTD Prospects at the 2024 College Soccer Championship

Academy graduates and future homegrown players ready to shine at College Cup

Can’t get enough post-season soccer? You’re in the right spot.

As Atlanta United prepares to take on Orlando City in the Semifinals of the MLS Playoffs, hundreds of young soccer players eagerly await their opportunity to compete for the pride of their school, impress MLS scouts ahead of the SuperDraft, and vie for the chance to hoist the 2024 College Cup.

This is a single-elimination tournament running from November 21st through December 16th with 22 teams automatically qualifying through Conference Cup Championships and regular season titles and 26 teams selected at large by the Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. The top 16 teams earned first-round byes with the right to host their opponents at their home stadiums on November 24th. Of the 48 qualifying teams, 11 teams have Atlanta United Academy graduates or former players. This is slightly down from previous years and also leaves out several top prospects like Northwestern University’s Nigel Prince and the University of Kentucky’s Joel Gonzalez, but it should be a great competition for Atlanta United fans and casual fans of college soccer.

First Round

Thursday, Nov. 21

• North Carolina vs. Furman, 5 p.m. ET
• Michigan vs. Robert Morris, 7 p.m. ET
• West Virginia vs. North Florida, 7 p.m. ET
• Oregon State vs. Gardner-Webb, 10 p.m. ET

Players to Watch

The First Round kicks off with Homegrown Player Matthew Edwards’ former defensive partner and fellow Atlanta native Riley Thomas and the University of North Carolina welcoming Furman’s freshman duo of Malachi Grant and Luke Hutzell to Chapel Hill. Thomas is an experienced and accomplished defender who has played over 7,500 minutes over five seasons for the Tar Heels. He will need every bit of that experience when taking on a dynamic attacking midfielder like Hutzell. Though he may have had a comparatively quiet Freshman season, Hutzell can explode with goal production, scoring 13 and adding 11 assists for Atlanta United’s U-19s in 2023. Grant is equally as dangerous from the wide midfield or wingback position. While playing for Atlanta’s Academy, Grant was called up to Jamaica’s U-17s and U-20s with every indication that he could follow George Bello and Caleb Wiley as the club’s next left-back star. This will be an excellent first-round match-up for both teams and a tone-setter for their quadrant of the bracket.

Another compelling fullback prospect is Oregon State’s Andrew De Gannes. De Gannes hit the ground running from an impressive 2023 season with Atlanta United 2 to starting nearly every match in his Freshman campaign. Now a Sophomore, De Gannes cemented his place in the starting line-up as a dependable defense-first left-back. He was eligible for last year’s SuperDraft and will likely be eligible again this year with a good chance of being selected in a later round. His path to the Cup goes through two very tough small-school programs in Gardner Webb and Denver and perennial powerhouses Indiana and Akron. There will be a lot of eyes on Denver’s Sam Bassett so that could be a great opportunity for De Gannes to earn his first contract.

Second Round

Sunday, Nov. 24

• Virginia vs. Winner of West Virginia vs. North Florida, 5 pm ET
• Clemson vs. Winner of Providence vs. Bucknell, 6 pm ET
• Dayton vs. Winner of Michigan vs. Robert Morris, 7 pm ET
• Stanford vs. Winner of UCLA vs. UC Santa Barbara, 8 pm ET

Players to Watch

Coming off of his best statistical performance in his 5-year soccer career the University of Virginia’s Daniel Mangarov is looking to add a deep run in the College Cup to his resume. Playing mostly as an attacking midfielder and forward, Mangarov scored two goals and added 7 assists in a season where his assist numbers could have been a lot higher. He has great field vision, strong passing, and the capacity to make the transition into an attacking wingback at the professional level. His midfield partner Brendan Lambe also has a bright professional future ahead of him. Lambe is a no-nonsense holding midfielder with strong ball control and passing skills. In a single-elimination tournament where every goal counts, look to Lambe to do a lot of the underappreciated but essential work necessary to keep his team alive.

In just his second season, Clemson’s Remi Okunlola could be on his way to another College Cup. His versatility has been on full display this season playing as the right centerback in a back-3, a right-back in a back-4, and as a hybrid wingback/wide-midfielder in the ACC Playoffs. Okunlola has become Mr. Dependable, showing off his strong defensive instincts alongside pin-point crossing around the opponent’s 18-yard box. After coming just short in penalty kicks against Wake Forest last weekend, Okunlola and his fellow ATL UTD defender Mathieu Brick have added motivation to win Clemson’s third College Cup in four seasons.

One player we have not talked about very much but who deserves a ton of credit for a strong season is Dayton’s left-back Geni Kanyane. The South African has put in a ton of work over his four seasons at Dayton including multiple summer-league seasons with the Dayton Dutch Lions and other 4th Division teams to continue pushing his development forward. Kanyane is a defense-first fullback who still likes to get pretty high up the pitch in possession. He has a lot of athleticism and a strong compact frame that can keep up with opposing players while winning a lot of the physical battles along the sidelines. He will be eligible for the MLS SuperDraft this season and will work his way onto an MLS NEXT Pro or USL Championship roster in the Spring.

The most exciting player for Atlanta United fans in this tournament is Stanford’s Senior #8, Will Reilly. Reilly was already a solid player as an academy prospect competing against grown men in the USL Championship. Four years later, he emerges a savvy and more polished box-to-box midfielder who quietly does a lot of great work to control the middle of the field. he still drops deep to help build out of the back but is more confident ranging forward in the attack. He continues to show off his control and precision on free kicks and with line-splitting passes that allow his better-known teammates like Zach Bohane to shine. With Dax McCarty set to retire, the timing could not be better for Atlanta to welcome Reilly back on a Homegrown Player contract. The next time he and his old midfield partner Ajani Fortune appear on the field together, it could be at the Benz.

If you fill out a bracket, post it in the comments below and let us know which of these players you will be watching. All matches are available via streaming.

Join us this winter for the College Soccer Season Recap, 2025 SuperDraft Coverage, Next Homegrown Player predictions, and full coverage of Atlanta United 2 off-season.