Henry and Grey sat down with Atlanta United 2 head coach Jose Silva for an in-depth conversation about how the development pipeline actually works inside the club — and the cultural moves Silva has made to turn ATL UTD 2 around.
After winning just two matches all of last season, Silva instituted an asado for every two wins, a pool party for every three. The result: a team currently in playoff position and a culture Silva is intentionally building from the ground up.
In this conversation:
- Why Silva won’t fast-track Arif Kovac to the first team — even after a five-goal performance against Huntsville
- The “Fish Memory” theory of MLS development and why consistency beats one big night
- How Cooper Sanchez, Will Reilly, and Jay Fortune moved through the pipeline: bench → bench role player → starter
- What Silva looks for in academy prospects
- Building culture across nationalities: Toto Majub, Moises Tablante, Patrick Weah, Moises, and a locker room with players from places like Mali, Venezuela, and Liberia
- The behind-the-scenes look at ATL UTD 2’s asado tradition
- Silva’s message to Atlanta United fans: “Believe that we are going to be again the best team in U.S.”
Plus much more on Tata Martino’s role in the pipeline, positional flexibility in player development, and how the second team works with the academy and the first team to find Atlanta’s next homegrowns.
Here’s a preview of the conversation:
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When does that winning culture seep up to the first team?