MLS program Atlanta United Academy joins ECNL Boys

RICHMOND, VA – The ECNL Boys will welcome MLS program Atlanta United Academy into the league for the 2020-2021 season, where the club will participate in the newly revamped Southeast Conference.

Atlanta United is also an inaugural member of the new MLS youth academy platform.

“We are really excited to have a club with the pedigree and reputation of Atlanta United Academy join the ECNL,” said ECNL Boys Commissioner Jason Kutney. “Their teams will raise the already high level of competition in the Southeast Conference even higher, and mark another step forward for the ECNL in providing a fantastic development platform for the nation’s best players and teams.”

The Atlanta United Academy was formed in 2016, just prior to the Club’s inaugural season in Major League Soccer.  Training and competing out of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Grounds, the Academy currently manages competitive team programming for Under-12s through Under-19s.

“We are excited for our Academy teams to play a great schedule of competitive games in our region, against quality competition in the Southeast Conference of the ECNL Boys,” said Atlanta United Academy Director, Tony Annan.

With a focus upon the development of local talent to the highest levels of the game, the Atlanta United Academy has already signed nine players from Georgia to Homegrown Contracts, including U.S. National Team standouts Andrew Carleton and Lagos Kunga. Beyond this, over 30 players from the Academy have gone on to earn NCAA Division I scholarships.

The 2020-2021 ECNL Boys season will kick off in August, with 10 Conferences and over 130 member clubs. More information on the upcoming season will be released soon.