2025 Atlanta United 2 season preview

Welcome in.

It's time for an Atlanta United two season preview on the SDH Network. I'm Jason Longshore, Madison Cruse, and I had the chance to catch up with lots of folks as we get ready for the Atlanta United two season opener tonight. You can listen to it. You can listen to most Atlanta United two matches on the SDH Network all season long. We will have the radio calls for you. You can listen on our Mixler channel. You can also listen by going to Soccer down Here dot net and

Steve, I guess for starters, you know, how is the preseason ben for you guys? And you know what's the energy heading into Friday?

Well, I think first it's been really enjoyable. The players have really worked hard brought into what we're trying to achieve.

The spirit is good.

But at this time of year, when nobody's got any points and you've not played any real exciting games, then of course we're all in good, good spirits, you know. But I think it looks a very together group. It looks a group that can play well together as well. So we have some high hopes, but I'm assuming every single other team in the league has high hopes too.

We talked to Cooper, Ryan and Ronan you know, earlier. What has it been like adding in some of those new players a lot of experience, and then also having a lot of those younger players that are still developing but have played with you before, all kind of coming together to form this group.

It's been incredible because I think the players that have been introduced to the group this year have really come in shown so much leadership and real good quality as well. And I think because of that, the young players have had people to look up to, which they have always had in the past, and I think not only they're looking up to them, but they're also looking at them and going, these guys are good players, and therefore.

We need to step up in our game.

So I think it's good from not only helping them learn how to be professional players, but also helping them improve as players, and also giving them a serious competition because obviously it's going to be performance based and whether you're twenty three or thirteen, whoever plays well gets the spot. So it's really creating that incredibly good dynamic of togetherness, but it's also creating a dynamic of competition, which is exactly what we need.

Have you seen it?

Has it kind of come together really quickly for you? Have you really seen everyone click immediately or has it been a little bit of a slow building but you're getting to a point where you're seeing everything come together.

Yeah, that's a good question.

I think in the early stages, maybe after a week or two, we said, we've got some good guys here. You know, We've got some really highly intelligent people, some really highly motivated people, and we've got some people who care about out each other and care about the profession and the role that we all have. And I think because of that, it's just gradually improved, you know. And the players have really taken it on board. And it's

I want to ask about Hobby or armis obviously returning from last season, how have you seen his game improve in the preseason from last year and also to just being that leader as we know that we've seen him last season be that captain. You know, how has he really embraced it and taken on to it this season?

Well? Have he's come back in as the captain, as the leader?

But it's easier to lead other leaders who want to come with you than it is to just drag along a bunch of people who don't want to do that. He's setting high standards. We're all setting high standards, and people are either maintaining those standards, improving those standards, or they're getting left behind.

So I think have he's showing that?

But more importantly as a player, I think he's come back in in great shape, in great form, and I think he's going to not only be a good leader for our team, but I think He's going to be somebody who, whether it's this club or somewhere else, is really going to kick on because I think, you know, his performance last Saturday, for example, against the USL Championship team was absolutely outstanding. So I think he's got a very,

I want to ask about a player that we talked a lot about last season as well, but Dominic chunk Wi. Seeing his development, seeing him get that time with the first team in the preseason, also getting his first EMLS debut with the team against Charlotte. What does it mean to you to see him flourish under you with the twos and now see him really step up more into this professional realm.

Well, first, I'm delighted for Dominic. You know, is a really good person. He's a very hard working young man. He's earned it every step of the way. He wasn't given anything. He wasn't given a contract before he'd played well.

For the twos.

He was always in a situation where he was chasing and chasing. He's been a little fortunate with probably or we are unfortunate with a few injuries in early preseason with the first team, so then he's ready to step in. But as I say all the time, it's only an opportunity if you're ready for the opportunity. Otherwise it's not an opportunity at all. You're just going to go along

And you feel like you're in the group. But he has a long way to go.

He's seventeen, just and he's got to get some real serious minutes this year with us, and frankly he's got to play well for the twos as well when he plays a year. He's already had his two call ups and maybe there's going to be more in the near future. But I think wherever he plays, whenever he plays, he has to be a player who everybody notices not only has been a young player with potential, but a high performing.

Player with a great deal more to give in the future.

I think that is really what he's got a knuckle down on and I think he can. Sometimes in football you never know, right and you know you need a little bit of good fortune and look along the way, and I'm hoping he gets that because he's a terrific young man with hopefully a really high level and very bright future ahead of him.

Last couple ones, looking back at last season and then going into this one, what were some of the things that you wanted to see change and really really improve as you guys head into this new season.

I think as we end the season, you know you're always looking forward and saying, well, how can we improve the group? And one of the key things for me was having better leaders throughout the group, better character and

How do you want the team to play this year? Like the style of play that you guys want to see on the field?

You know, this question is.

An interesting question because every coach gets asked this, and I don't want to be the cliched.

You know, we want to have the ball and then we want to go win it back and that stuff.

I think we need to have a team that, regardless of the situation of the game, regardless of our opponents, we can impose ourselves on the game. We can be ourselves, whether it be a buildout game or whether it be something that's high pressing or something even when we don't have the ball. Do we have a team that can perform really well and be in control of the game with and without the ball?

And that means sometimes we're going to be up against it.

Sometimes we're not going to play well, but we can still control the game and get a result, and a team that can win games in a couple of different ways, because make no mistake, in American soccer, and especially in Major League soccer, you can winning away from home.

Is hard, but you can do it, and.

It just means you might have to play a slightly different way for periods in a game or even the whole game. But I think we have a group of people who are invested in that part of it this year and are truly on board with trying to not only play well and play a nice, attractive brand, but are also very invested in winning games and being not only competitive, but going past that and actually being one

We've had a great preseason.

It is only preseason, but the consistency of attitude and work has been there, and hopefully we can see that not only on Friday, but we can see that for the twenty seven games after that.

Speaking of Friday, a good challenge for you guys going up against New York Red Bulls too. You know how they're going to play. You know, what are some of the things that you guys are going to try to do to minimize what they do on the field.

Yeah.

I mean, when you're seeing Red bull team, whether it's in Leipzig or Salzburg or New York.

You're going to get. You're going to get what you see.

Like we've seen for years and years, a very energetic, very brave, high pressing team who maybe go man to man at times and risk it a little bit at the back, outstanding the counterpress, very solid in terms of their attitude to wanting to win the game and do some of the dirty work that doesn't get noticed all the time. And they've got good players who can play now. And I think there's been a shift in the Red

You know, nobody's really got too much video on each other.

But I do think that our boys are prepared and I think we understand what Red Bull are gonna bring to us, But they might have a few worries of their own against us, you know. I think our challenge is to be ourselves, dominate and impose our will on them and also kill the will of them and the spirit of them, because we know that if we don't do that, then Red Bull can get on top of

For the season on Friday.

Next up on our Atlanta United to twenty twenty five season preview, let's hear from homegrown future homegrown midfielder currently with Atlanta United to Cooper Sanchez as we catch up with him about his off season and expectations for twenty twenty five Perfect.

I mean, I guess we'll start off. You know, how excited are you for the first game of the season on Friday.

Yeah.

I think we've been building all preseason. I think we have a really strong team this year to do something special, and I think we're just randing to go. You know, we've done well in preseason, so just ready to go.

You've also had an exciting offseason as well, going with the U seventeens for the US men's national team. You know, we're with.

Them when they qualified for the World Cup.

What was that experience like for you?

Yeah, I mean the my call up was you know, I feel myself I deserved it.

I've been you know, working hard.

Doing well in my obviously here in my environment, so but to get together with you know, the best players in my age group, to represent our country, to.

Qualify for a World Cup was I mean huge.

Every game was you know, like a World Cup final to be honest, because all you needed to do was top of your group and we did that, won all three games. And yeah, now the job is World Cup, so focusing on that now.

So yeah, you know, twenty two goals, you know that was very very nice in one game.

Let you guys go.

Yeah, fortunately didn't get one, but yeah, it wasn't my role.

But yeah, but going into this two season, I mean looking back at last year, what kind of sets it apart in your mind from just what's happening on the field off the field, like what are you seeing and how excited is the team getting ready for.

This new season?

Yeah, I would say it's a completely different team from last year. You know, a lot of new faces and.

I think the.

Biggest difference was is the training environment. I think the intensity this year is something different. And yeah, I mean that's that's pretty much.

How has it been getting to know these new players and kind of forming that chemistry?

Yeah, obviously mostly when we played against last year, you know, on other teams and they're obviously doing well, like Ryan and Nick and boys. And so getting them, you know, in our team now and just building chemistry with them. They're they're all good people, so you know it was pretty easy. But yeah, we're just looking looking forward to the season.

What are some aspects of your game?

Have you seen the most improvement from last year to think wing into this season.

I would say myself was a big thing was like one B one defensively duels everything.

I think that's improved.

You know, I'm getting bigger and stronger as time goes on, you know, that happens. But I think I'm putting more care obviously into into my duels and trying to win every duel that I can. And yeah, that's something that would be different this season for me.

How has the style of play evolved a little bit this year? In preseason?

Yeah, I think last year we had a lot of technical players, you know that always wanted the ball to feet and I mean, including myself, that's the type of player I am. But I think this year we have a good mixture of you know, dynamic runs in behind all of that. So it's a good it's a good combination.

And yeah, how much has it helped you to have a guy like Will Riley around, who has been here before now comes back after his time in college, has a ton of experience.

Yeah, obviously, I mean it's just learning everything, even Will, you know, Hobby still, all the guys on at the first team. You know, it's a big it's a big help, you know, just learning little details. And you know Will was obviously experiencing usl before he he left for college, so you know, just asking him, I mean.

Little things, that's yeah, He's he's been helpful.

When you have a group like that that you feel comfortable like in your role asking you know, whether it's veterans, whether it's guys you're just a little bit older than you, how about how helpful is it to have those guys that you can bounce off of and learn from.

I mean, that's I think that's the biggest one of the biggest parts of you know, our development as young young professionals coming into the team is having guys that are gonna help us, you know, because we're gonna make mistakes. That's that's gonna happen. We're all gonna make mistakes. But you know, having guys that won't treat you like you're young. You know, if you're good enough, you're old enough.

So yeah, you know, you look ahead to Friday. It's the Red Bulls. You know exactly how they're gonna play. You know what to expect, what are the important things and getting a result.

I think just matching their intensity.

You know they're gonna come pressing first fifteen to twenty minutes, so you know, just kind of trying to break them down, tire them out, and uh yeah, score goals.

Next up, Atlanta United to newcomer Ryan Carmichael, a player he has a lot of success in MLS Next Pro and hoping to bring that to Atlanta. Here's our conversation with Ryan. Let's start with, you know what came into the decision to come to Atlanta this season.

I think I was here a couple of years ago with the combine and I like the setup, and then obviously I saw what they're trying to do obviously.

With the first team.

On the second team, we bro got in a load of player, older players, so if they were going to have really strong squad, and I wanted to be a part of it this year.

Though, how's the group come together in preseason?

Better than you'd probably think that.

I think we're from the first game, everybody just seemed to click on the s. We've had a couple of great results over preseason and everybody's got the fitness and so we're all excited for Fridaily.

For people who are getting to know you and getting to know your style of play, how would you describe your game?

Fast and direct? Mainly I like to get him behind the back then and score goes off one or two touch So if I had to compare, someone will probably be Jimmy Vardi based on my stature as well.

Okay, I like it.

What has it been like forming those new relationships and connections during the off season for you guys.

I could it's the same everywhere.

The first couple of weeks is hard, like you're getting to know people, you're kind of feeling it out. But once you get playing and stuff like, it's basically like another family, So you get used to everybody pretty quickly that you see them every day, so it's not too hard once you get used to everybody, but those first the first week or two year a bit, especially in

Yeah, you have a lot of experience as well coming into this team. Now, how are you going to bring that experience to help some of these younger guys develop a bit more, but then also bring in that leadership quality.

On the field.

Hey, Yeah, I've a bit more experience and obviously the younger guys, and I think it just help them movements and different things you learn as you get as you play more like movements offootball, things that just clean up your touch and stuff like that. And if they're willing to listen, and it's going to be easy enough on the seem to be so.

Yeah, from talking to Steve and Jose and the coaching staff heading into Friday, what are they willing to see?

You guys do want the.

Field this season for in the United two?

Win first and foremost, But basically put what we do out there in the prow this in the game and I'm sure.

It will help us along the way to that winn.

But he wants us to express ourselves and play our own football at the same time, because he knows once you get out there, it's everything kind of sick can sometime to the go to the dog.

So yeah, what are some of the challenges that be your Red Bulls bring for you guys, And how are you guys gonna try to minimize them on Friday in game?

Well, they're high pressing and big, strong, hunk fast, So I think if we can get out of that first initial press and beat that, then we'll have a lot of joy in behind because we're also pretty fast and physical up top. So if we can beat their first press, then it's turns into our game going attacking them. So yeah, I think that's the main thing we've got to look out for.

The last interview, on the twenty twenty five at Lanta United two season preview, we caught up with Ronan Win. You've seen him with the first team in preseason. He signed a second team contract and hopefully we'll have his visa in time to take part in tonight's match. Don't forget You can listen to Atlanta United to Soccer all season long on the SDH network, click listen on soccer down here dot net, or if you have the mixler app, you can listen on the Soccer down here channel there.

Make sure you're following us at Soccer down here on.

All your social media platforms and enjoy our conversation with Ronan Win and we'll be talking to you tonight as at Land United to host the New York Red Bulls too. Let's start with just your journey to Atlanta out of the draft, a lot of time with the first team in preseason.

How are you feeling going into the season starting on Friday.

Yeah, really good. It's been a great experience so far, being between both teams, you know, playing with players that I've never played with before and players that have been in the professional ranks for a while. Really looking forward to it and I kind of wait for what's the company.

What's been the toughest thing adjusting to the level at the professional game.

The speed of play? Yeah, easily, I've never played, I mean, especially with the first team. It's crazy how quick the decisions are made. So that's definitely been playing wise, the biggest biggest adjustment.

Does it help you almost to start there in preseason and then come to the MLS next pro side and settle in.

I was saying to Matt, one of the assistant coaches, being training with them for six weeks now and then coming down playing in the second team games. I feel like it's prepared me so well, and I feel like I'm already, you know, like into the game, and I feel like I could play at that speed, just because those guys playing in MLS a different level. Yeah.

So you've been through the journey of being like the young guy and the college team, and then becoming the older player and becoming the veteran and the wiser player. You're kind of in a reverse situation now as a rookie pro but older than some of your teammates.

Have you kind of settled into that.

I think you're just gonna play a role. You know, when you're with the first team, work hard. You know, you gotta run hard. I mean, obviously do that with the second team, but here I can be more vocal. I can lead by example more. On the other side, I'm learning more so just being around them, So asting between the two is good. But I guess I'm allowed to take a leadership role on one end and then on the other end I can.

I'm just learning.

I'm the student, whereas the side I can be the teacher sometimes.

Well, during preseason being with the first team, what was one of the biggest things that you learned from Ronnie Dyler and you're gonna take with you as you go into them last next pro season.

I think kind of the seriousness of every single play on the field. There's no letting up at any point, you know, if it's a set piece, if it's a throwing, if they have a goal kick, you know, fa facing the ball. There's a lot of things that he talked to me about and he asked me questions about, and you know, you got to look at yourself after playing games, after training, and he's kind of challenged me. So I think just not taking any plays off and staying focused the whole time.

For a lot of Atlanta fans who maybe don't necessarily didn't see you in pre season with the first team, how would you describe how you play?

I feel like I can be difference maker defensively. I think I'm I could win my one v one battles and then also try and create chances like full Bexter. But I'm always gonna work hard, I'm always gonna get into challenges. I'm gonna shout when I make a block, I'm gonna uplook the team, and I'm gonna do anything to win to win the game.

Yeah.

Coming from the college space and then coming into pro. How important was your college experience for you to be able to be so successful in getting the chance to then jump to the front level.

Yeah. I think a big thing that maybe people that don't go to college don't get is everything off the field, kind of the lifestyle that you build. So there's a lot of let's say school for example, a lot of people don't have that, and I've got to be focusing on school, focusing on the field, diet, There's so many more things that go into being a professional, and I think that's what college kind of set me up to be successful when I come into this environment.

Awesome for me.

How excited are you for Friday to get to go up, get to go to fifth third and play with the team.

Yeah, really excited. I've been looking forward to it, looking forward to it for.

A while now.

I'm still actually trying to get my visa, so I'm hoping that gets done by Friday, But whenever I play, really looking forward to. It's been a while since I've played a real competitive game, So

Absolu a awesome, perfect