2026 MLS SuperDraft: Who will Atlanta United pick?

All I want for Christmas is a coherent SuperDraft strategy.

The 2026 MLS SuperDraft is nearly upon us. After a disastrous 2025 season, Atlanta United will pick second overall in each of the three rounds. The good news is that the last time the club picked this high and had Tata Martino as their coach, they had their most impactful SuperDraft. The bad news is that it was our first-ever SuperDraft, and the club has been notoriously ineffective in integrating its picks into the first team since then.

Getting the most out of every roster-building mechanism is of the utmost importance for a club seeking to right the ship and reshape the roster under a new manager. With a lot of roster spots to fill and very little cap space available for the task, Sporting Director Chris Henderson has the tall task of attempting to replicate the impact of the 2017 SuperDraft, when the club selected Generation Adidas signing Miles Robinson with the second overall pick and traded back into the first round for Julian Gressel, swapping defender Donny Toia for Orlando’s 9th pick.

One of the key issues preventing SuperDraft success has not been the quality of the players chosen in the draft. Many of them continue to play in MLS for other clubs or are impactful members of some of the top teams in the USL Championship. One of the biggest issues has been a lack of a clear strategy or understanding of how to integrate these players into the first team in a meaningful way. Let’s use Javier Armas and Ronan Wynne as recent examples. For many people covering the team, Armas looked like one of the best midfielders on the team in his first preseason. He was exactly the kind of holding midfielder and deep distributor that we needed in 2024, but he failed to make the MLS roster out of training camp. He continued to perform as one of the best players on the 2s for the next two seasons, but never played a single MLS minute. That was not due to a lack of talent, but rather his international status that blocked his path. The same is true for Ronan Wynne. Wynne joined the club as another second-round pick ahead of the 2025 season with a clear path to meaningful minutes in his natural right-back position. Due to a rash of injuries, Wynne and Homegrown defender Matthew Edwards were the only two available right-backs on the roster, but Wynne was dropped to the 2s and was released at the end of the season. He certainly looked good enough to make the MLS roster out of camp, but he could not overcome his international status.

Atlanta United’s draft strategy must reconcile the club’s prioritization of international slots for its higher-priced imports. As Tata Martino seeks to rebuild the club in his image through new South American signings, those international slots will be at a premium, so it is highly unlikely there will be room for an international SuperDraft pick to win a roster spot out of camp. While they could be signed to the 2s again, we risk the same problem that has plagued this club since the 2018 draft.

The club should also consider what positions it is strongest at in the upper levels of the development pipeline. Jayden Hibbert (the club’s sole remaining draft pick in the organization) and Homegrown Players Jonathan Ransom and James Donaldson appear to be the future at the goalkeeping position for the club, so it would not make sense to invest a draft pick there. The club also has a strong group of young central and holding midfielders, so it might not make sense to add to that spot either. Dominik Chong Qui and a rumored new U-22 signing appear to be the future at left-back, so that could also be a blocked position. Looking ahead to 2027, I believe our next college Homegrown Player will be Clemson’s right-back, Remi Okunlola, so it does not seem as high a position of need for building through the draft.

For this mock draft, I will be looking at the unofficial SuperDraft pool of nearly 400 players who are eligible this year. Among them, I will prioritize players that fit our system, fit the areas of need in the system, and will mostly focus on domestic prospects in the early rounds unless the player is good enough to force his way onto the roster like Julian Gressel. Despite the recent signing of Santiago Pita to a Homegrown Player contract, I think there is still an opportunity for young attacking players, so we will mostly consider options for the front four and centerback.

Due to the draft’s unique mechanics around player rights, teams can opt to draft for present needs or the future. Last year, we talked a little bit about the rule changes for the draft that remain in effect this year. The new and enlarged field of eligible players includes players unclaimed as MLS NEXT Academy affiliates and at least in their second year in college soccer. We are still waiting on the official announcement of who the Generation Adidas players will be this year, but we have a pretty good idea of who four of them could be. Overall, we expect there to be nearly 500 players eligible for selection with only 90 spots available. Many of the unselected players will end up in MLS preseason camps, on MLS NEXT Pro teams, or in the USL pyramid, with a few others competing in the fourth division.

Not all selected players will make the jump to the professional game in 2026. An underclassman selected in the draft may return to college after being drafted, and the club that drafted that player may retain the right to sign that player for those two calendar years. For teams dealing with roster constraints or players who are not quite ready to compete for a spot on the Senior or MLS NEXT Pro rosters, this provides a clear opportunity to continue developing with their college program of choice. Casper Mols is Atlanta United’s sole example of this kind of player, but teams like Colorado Rapids retain the draft rights of nearly a dozen players still in college. Mols had a strong senior season for the University of Virginia, and if it wasn’t for his international status and the organizational depth in the goalkeeper development pipeline, Mols would be a lock to appear in Atlanta’s preseason.

Ideally, all of this year’s draft picks will be players who can impact the organization in some way, whether that is providing valuable competition and mentorship with the 2s or vying for meaningful minutes with Atlanta United.

Round 1, Pick #2

The most important question in Round 1 is: “Who will DC United select first overall?”

After that, the draft board starts to fall into place. For most people following college soccer, three of the most exciting players this year that will be available in the draft are Grand Canyon’s Junior Diouf, Clemson’s Ransford Gyan, and the University of Virginia’s Nicholas Simmonds. Diouf and Simmonds are likely Generation Adidas signings this year and would jump immediately from their freshman seasons to the professional game. With DC United moving on from their star center forward, Christian Benteke, many question whether DC United will sign a new dominant target 9 with their first pick. If they do, they could opt for Simmonds, who is from Richmond, Virginia, or Diouf. If they are looking to add the best overall player with some of the best technical skills we have seen in college soccer, Clemson’s Gyan may be the pick for them.

Atlanta United has a good problem here. Unlike in 2021 when we lost out on Duncan McGuire (OFYO) by one pick, they have several fantastic options regardless of who is selected first overall. The two players I am most excited about are Ransford Gyan and Nicholas Simmonds.

Ransford Gyan | Attacking Midfielder | Clemson University

Gyan is a truly special player. He is one of the most technically gifted players many of us have seen in the college game, and he appears to have the right tools and personality to continue growing as a player. Though diminutive in stature, he is built like a tank with a strong and low center of gravity that naturally shields opposing 6s and defenders off the ball. He also has elite explosiveness with the ball, and when he is not splitting lines with pinpoint passes into the attacking third, he can weave his way up the field in a matter of seconds. It may feel like an odd comparison, but for me, watching Gyan at the 10 feels a bit like watching a young Josef Martinez in an attacking midfield role. He is an elite chance creator for himself and his teammates, and thrives in a dynamic and downhill attack like what Atlanta United fans came to love in Tata’s first tenure with the club. An ideal position for him in Atlanta would be as a second striker or as a 10 paired with Miguel Almiron in a 3-4-2-1 similar to what the 2s used to close out the 2025 season. He could slot in next to Santiago Pita in 2026 behind Patrick Weah and immediately form one of the most dangerous attacks in all of MLS NEXT Pro.

Gyan finished the season as an All-Region First Team Selection, a Mac Hermann Finalist, and the ACC Midfielder of the Year. Across two seasons of college soccer, he has scored 13 goals and added 14 assists across 2835 minutes.

Nicholas Simmonds | Forward | University of Virginia

Simmonds is also a very special player who would benefit from the longer timeline that Generation Adidas players receive, thanks to their roster and cap flexibility. Simmonds is a towering forward capable of playing centrally, in a striker pair, or on the wing. He is an absolute nuisance for opposing defenders thanks to his blistering speed, agility, and strong technical control of the ball. His hold-up game is strong, and his ball control is good for a player of his size. Like Gyan, Simmonds can create his own goals and can create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He rescued Virginia several times this season thanks to his ridiculous athleticism and talent, creating goals out of a bad giveaway by an opponent or a hopeful ball over the top.

Simmonds finished the season as an All-Region First Team Selection, a Mac Hermann Finalist, and received many additional conference awards. In his first season of college, Simmonds scored 10 goals, added 5 assists in 1295 minutes.

**TRADE**

We are shaking things up early in this mock draft.

One of the things that made Atlanta United’s first SuperDraft special was the now-infamous (in Orlando) trade that sent Orlando City’s 9th overall pick in exchange for defender Donny Toia. After drafting Miles Robinson second overall, Atlanta United selected club legend Julian Gressel from Providence. In this case, let’s flip things by drafting our attacking player first and our international centerback second. Orlando has three picks in the first round, including two in the top-9. In this mock, Atlanta United will trade Pedro Amador to Orlando City for the 9th overall pick and an international pick.

Nikola Markovic | Centerback | North Carolina State

Last summer, Atlanta United cleared out its top centerback prospects for allocation money and immediately replaced them with Enea Mihaj and Juan Berrocal. With three expensive international centerbacks at the top of the depth chart and still-developing homegrown in Kaidan Moore joining the group this January, the club needs a proven and experienced centerback option. NC State’s Sophomore defensive anchor, Nikola Markovic, is surprisingly available in the draft despite being a former CF Montreal prospect. The Canadian national with Serbian roots is a dominant and imposing central defender with great ball control, commanding physicality, and strong distribution from the back. Theoretically, he would play most of the 2026 season as a leader for the 2s, a starter during the US Open Cup, and an emergency starter when most of our centerbacks are away during international windows.

Markovic started every match on the way to the final of the 2025 College Cup, and led a defense with 15 shutouts in 21 matches, allowing just 9 goals overall across all matches. He is a First Team All-American and will be an immediate impact player on most MLS rosters.

Round 2, Pick #2 (#32 Overall)

If Atlanta is looking for attacking players here, they have a few good options to explore. One option could be High Point’s Daniel Lugo, who set a new school record of 7 game-winning goals in his first season with the program. Lugo has shown a lot of growth since he transferred from the University of North Carolina over the summer. He is a tall and lanky forward with good speed and could continue to improve. High Point seems to be a really good spot for him, so this could be a draft-and-stash candidate for Atlanta United.

Another attacking option that would be an international player is Gyan’s attacking partner, Misei Yoshizawa. The Japanese attacker excelled as a wide attacker who collapses in towards the box. He can also play as a wide midfielder or attacking midfielder, similar to his teammate Nathan Richmond. As you can see from his highlights against Duke, he is a smart player who is good at finding himself in the right place at the right time and has the technical abilities to finish his chances. The Clemson Senior finished his final college season with 6 goals and 4 assists in 1,229 minutes, with 27 goal contributions across 4,315 minutes.

Meet Will Cleary. Will Reilly’s former teammate has played all over the field for Stanford and made the move from the midfield to right-back for his senior season. Standing at nearly 6’2″, Cleary is a tall right-back who has enough mobility to battle against the larger wing players we are seeing more of in college and the pro game. His ball handling is good, passing and crossing are good, and his soccer IQ is very high. If he is drafted here or in the third round, Atlanta United would be getting a potential captain for the 2s and solid depth at right-back, right centerback, and at the holding midfield.

Another defensive option is Conyers, Georgia native Jaylen Yearwood. Yearwood just finished his Senior season at the University of North Florida. Yearwood is a tall right-back who likes to play high up the field. He is very aggressive in the attack, often getting in behind opposing defenses to make himself available on long passes. His crossing and attacking distribution are good. He finished his final season in college with All-Region First Team honors and a postseason appearance in the College Cup. He may need to start with the 2s since the jump from the ASUN Conference to MLS is substantial.

Round 3, Pick #2 (#62 Overall)

If you are looking for a player with a lot of heart and the ability to make magic happen, look no further than NC State’s attacking midfielder Taig Healy. Healy transferred to NC State this past offseason to follow his long-time coach from New Hampshire down to Raleigh. That ended up being a crucial decision as Healy played a key role in helping NC State reach the College Cup Final. As a high-energy number 10, Healy flashes around the top of NC State’s midfield diamond, sometimes dropping back as a connector between the 6 and his target forward Donavan Phillip. Like Gyan, he’s a smaller guy, but he plays a lot bigger and uses his on-field awareness to find the ball. His game-winning header against St. Louis in the Cup semi-final is a great example of how he finds the game.

If Atlanta drafts Healy, they will get a natural leader in the attacking third of the pitch for the 2s and a dynamic attacking talent who could find his team a goal off the bench.

Moving just up the road from NC State for our next option at 62 is the University of North Carolina’s senior centerback, Dylan Kropp. Kropp is a very consistent and reliable defender who should be very familiar to Atlanta United as a former backline partner of Matthew Edwards. He would be a “veteran” option for a very young 2s backline and could be a break-glass call-up in the event of an injury on the first team. Like most of the guys in this article, Kropp was named to the US Soccer Coaches All-Region list, with Kropp on the second team for the All-South Region. His UNC defense was ranked 3rd in the ACC with just 0.778 goals allowed per match, including 8 shutouts in 20 matches.

One more pick who has been tied to Atlanta United, but could face some scrutiny for his age and size, is Washington’s Richie Aman. Aman had the best season of his career to help the Washington Huskies reach the College Cup Final. Aman is highly active in the attack and is effective in breaking down opposing defenses both in blocks and when retreating on the counter. A great example of what he can do is Washington’s victory over Furman in the Cup semi-final. I would be absolutely amazed if Aman falls to the third round because I don’t expect him to make it past the early second at the latest, but stranger things have happened in the MLS SuperDraft. If the B1G Midfielder of the Year is still available this late in the draft, Atlanta should run to the podium.

**UPDATE — December 16th, 2025**

Earlier today, MLS released the official draft order for the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. Much to our disappointment, MLS and Inter Miami remembered that Atlanta traded their second-round pick in this draft for the right to sign Chris Henderson as our Technical Director last winter. Atlanta United now only has picks number 2 and 62 in the first and third rounds.

**UPDATE — December 17th, 2025**

One day ahead of the SuperDraft, Major League Soccer released the full list of draft-eligible players. All of the players named in this draft preview are there, plus a few who may be familiar to Atlanta United fans.

MLS also announced the signing of four Generation Adidas players. Three of these four players could be targets for Atlanta United at the second pick. UVA’s Nicholas Simmonds is the favorite, with NC State’s Nikola Markovic as the potential other option. Georgia Southern’s Ricky Louis would be a riskier local option, but a Generation Adidas contract offers the kind of flexibility to take a risk on a young player. Clemson’s raw but talented #6 Kwaku Agyabeng is the other Generation Adidas signing. He is likely to go early, but is not likely to be Atlanta’s pick due to the depth of talent at that position throughout the club’s system.

Former academy players Luke Hutzell, Nigel Prince, Cristiano Brulette, Justin McLean, Andrew De Gannes, Andy Sullins, and Rohan Blackwell are all confirmed to be available for selection.

This wraps up our first mock draft for the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. Let us know which of these guys you would be excited to see come to Atlanta. We will continue to update this article as MLS announces the full player pool, the Generation Adidas signings, and other relevant news.

Fans might recognize a few names in the draft pool once it becomes available. While not yet official, former Atlanta United Academy players Nigel Prince, Cristiano Bruletti, Justin McLean, Rohan Blackwell, and Andy Sullins are in the preliminary player pool.

If you would like to see highlights and footage of these guys, I highly recommend you follow Mark Kelkenberg, subscribe to his Substack, and check out the latest episodes of College Soccer Matchday.