Ronny Deila has made his philosophy about Atlanta United’s corps of younger players clear several times during his still-early tenure as the club’s head coach: If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Exhibit A: Martin Ødegaard — a debutant under Deila with Strømsgodset’s senior team at just 15 — who’s now at Arsenal and captains the Norwegian national team. And while it’s far too early to tell whether any of Atlanta’s youngsters are destined for a Ødegaard-type career arc, they’re still showing well thus far in the 2025 preseason.
Take Atlanta’s 2-0 win over Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday: its starting XI included Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Jay Fortune, Efrain Morales, and Will Reilly, plus SuperDraft selection Ronan Wynne. All but Brennan and Cobb — who played the entire 90 minutes — were lifted at halftime, replaced by a largely first-choice group plus Dominik Chong Qui at left back and Matt Edwards at right back.
And if the 17-year-old Chong Qui, who played the second half against Chattanooga FC on Jan. 25 and whose ATL UTD 2 contract becomes a Homegrown contract in 2026, wanted to get the attention of Deila, he’s done it.
“I’m impressed,” Deila said on Saturday. “It’s (been a) long time since I’ve seen something like that. The special thing is his physique. He’s so quick, he’s good 1v1, and he’s mature in what he’s doing. So that is special.”
While Chong Qui will be with ATL UTD 2 in 2025, Brennan, who made 7 first-team appearances in 2024, stands to see a larger role within a deep group at wing. That’s even with the arrival of Miguel Almiron, who presumably will start at right wing and push Saba Lobjanidze to the left, and with Xande Silva and Edwin Mosquera vying for minutes.
Brennan was highly involved, appearing to have put Atlanta up 2-0 moments after Cayman Togashi’s first-half opener before it was called back on an offside.
“I really believe in Luke. He has something special, also,” Deila said. “There’s going to be competition, but we’re also going to play a lot of games, and we need everybody.”
None of this is to say that you’ll see an XI full of teenagers and Gen-Zers for Atlanta during Feb. 22’s season opener against CF Montreal. But the youngsters have done well in slowly gaining Deila’s trust. What that will look like as things progress, though, remains to be seen.
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[…] Qui gained constant praise from Ronny Deila during the Atlanta head coach’s short tenure. His physique and quickness stood out to the Norwegian manager in preseason, along with his abilities in 1v1 defending. He’s received attention from U.S. Soccer: along […]
[…] Atlanta United’s “special” young players impressing Ronny Deila during preseason […]
Can’t wait to see these kids in our Open Cup games!
Oh, wait…
i love seeing this kids get meaningful runs in matches like these. i am cautiously optimistic that deila leans heavily on our talented youth thru this season. with some veteran leadership from the likes of miggy and saba, this could be an ideal mix for these kids to develop and shine.
Nice write up, Syd. Thx!
I’m so proud of these young guys and the whole development team who supported them on their journey to this moment. They are showing their quality to a new coach and technical staff who are willing and ready to reward them.
Brennan, Chong Qui, and Cobb looked fantastic. I think Chong Qui will play all six of his call-ups this year. Fortune did well in his central role, drawing fouls and maintaining control of the middle of the field. Reilly is still getting the hang of playing as a 10 or attacking half of an 8 tandem but is impressive in his counter-press, field vision, and overall work rate. Morales still looks a bit raw and chaotic, but he continues to improve.
Ronan Wynne is an absolute steal as a second-round pick. He could be our starter at RB until either Amador or Lennon are healthy enough to play.
I know Syd wrote that we may not see a full lineup of these young guys this year, but I think there will be a few matches where we get close. I wish we could play in the USOC along with Leagues Cup because these guys deserve every opportunity to play.
Brennan could be the real deal. Kinda reminds me of Miggy