Atlanta United’s most lucrative offseason acquisition heading into 2024 was Stian Gregersen: while it didn’t require a bank-breaking amount to bring the Norwegian defender to MLS — a reported $3.5 million transfer fee — his $1.120 million budget charge made him one of the team’s highest-paid players.
Of course, the move for Gregersen came after Miles Robinson departed for FC Cincinnati, but it’s probably not fair to compare the two as they’re two different players. That said, Gregersen’s first year in the league was a success, injuries notwithstanding.
Stats
Minutes: 1991 (27 matches played, 23 starts)
Goals: 3
What went right?
Gregersen’s speed was a major selling point when he signed for Atlanta, which was put on display as he made some strong recovery runs throughout the season to cancel out would-be chances. On his day, his tackling was phenomenal, with a particularly textbook one coming against Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar:
Also, he wasn’t afraid to show some serious hops, as he demonstrated in the home win against the Columbus Crew and again in the Wild Card match against CF Montreal:
What to improve on?
More than anything, Gregersen’s fitness hindered him from playing to his full potential in 2024. That started with a meniscus injury in mid-March that kept him out for over a month and continued with a hamstring injury in June. Those injuries certainly affected his form in 2024, not drastically, but enough to see his play tail off just a bit. Fortunately, Atlanta was able to lean on their depth at CB to compensate for his absences.
What role will he play in 2025?
Gregersen will face massive expectations in 2025 as he settles into his second season in MLS. If he can stay healthy for the bulk of the season, he can potentially be one of the top CBs in the league. Hopefully, the offseason will do his fitness good and he’ll return ready to build on what he did in 2024.
Not sure where to ask – but does anyone find it strange that apparently Miami has not published (or made) its season ending roster changes? I can’t find anything about their changes on the MLS website, the Miami website, etc. Everyone else has to state whether options have been exercised within a day or two of their last game – and Miami has a lot of players that will be around next year only if their options are exercised! What gives?
This type of shenanigans is what causes the league to lose credibility. It is painfully obvious they are allowing Miami to distort rules, which is exactly why fans across the league tuned into Atlanta United fans for our playoff series with them.
I liked him and Derrick as dual CB’s, but it was apparent there were some communication breakdowns at times. Those 2 have to be on the same page at all times. Get them on the same page throughout the entire game, they’re incredibly dangerous.
I really like Stian, and think he is a solid Miles replacement
There is certainly a lot to like there, but injuries and inconsistent play around him certainly didn’t help him get fully established this year. If he can stay healthy in 2025, he could be a Best-11 CB.
As he improves his health, he will probably get more call-ups from Norway, who are on their way to promotion to UEFA Nations League A, so the continued growth of Noah Cobb and Efrain Morales will be crucial to our defensive continuity.
Hopefully he will be better next season after having a normal offseason and recovering from all the injuries. Would not be surprising if he started compensating after his knee injury, which led to the hamstring injury.