Development as a football player can come through a variety of different avenues. Just look around the world.
Pickup soccer in the streets is a form of expression, and it's a vital pathway for players to enter the sport. It requires just a ball and two goals, which can take any form themselves. It's the ultimate access point.
Academies, on the other hand, are the elevator to the professional level. They can provide opportunities to take that creative energy and harness it into an organized game. When the two philosophies, organized and free-flowing, work together, new development opportunities arise.
The adidas adiCup 3v3 tournament, for Atlanta United, was just that. The club participated in the nationwide street soccer competition this summer, and over the months of June and July competed in both Atlanta and New York City.
The overall tournament consisted of more than 40 teams competing across four regional qualifiers in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, and Houston. Teams competed through group play and knockout rounds, with regional champions advancing to the Grand Final in New York July 19. Atlanta United emerged as champions of the Atlanta regional after six matches, defeating a competitive field of 10 teams which included teams fielded by professional clubs Charlotte FC and Sporting Jax.
Brought to the Academy's attention by members of Atlanta United's brand marketing team, Director of Methodology Javier Perez and other decision makers put together a roster of players from Atlanta United's U-16 and U-18 teams.
"We made a pretty well-balanced roster of players," Perez said. "We made sure that when we selected the characteristics of these players that they were number one resilient and number two with well-rounded attributes. They can defend, and they can attack."
Five Atlanta United Academy players — Gonzalo Riveras, Keven Medrano, Evan Coffing, Dennis Totev and Miles Bryant — were chosen to participate. In addition, Atlanta United's Regional Development School coordinator Tracy Wolf and Brand Marketing Manager Cameron Hall joined on the pitch in a true club-wide effort.
Coached by U-14's head coach Bruno Ramos and U-16's head coach Colby Childress, the side went 5-1 en route to a final victory in the Atlanta regional June.
"From a coaching perspective, Bruno and I really tried to pour some of our experience and our old minds, if you will, into the young eagerness and talent of the players," Childress said.
The championship match reached extra time after Atlanta United came back from deficits twice. The teams decided on a 1v1 golden goal finish where Riveras was called upon.
"I just trusted my instincts more. Since I'm more of a 1v1 player, I trusted my gut," Riveras said. "I chose to go straight to 1v1, and it turned out in my favor, so I was happy that I could get the win and send my team to New York."
It wasn't just a trip to the Grand Final of the competition on the line June 20. By winning the Atlanta Regional, the club's participants won tickets to Atlanta's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt. The prize for winning the Grand Final? Tickets to the FIFA 2026 World Cup™ Final.
Though Atlanta United's team didn't go on to win the Grand Final in NYC July 19, the squad got to experience the buzz of the World Cup firsthand and take on some of the nation's most electric sides. It was a memorable experience outside of the tournament, no doubt, but competing in a different style of football was the most valuable takeaway.
"I really enjoy it more because I could get the ball more and I could express myself more and show how I play," Riveras said. "I really enjoy playing 3v3, and it's a big difference compared to 11v11 in every single thing because it's such a fast-paced game."
The club's participation fit right in with Perez's larger belief on what makes a good soccer player: balance between organization and freedom. He's been an advocate for slowly implementing more casual, creative play into Academy sessions.
"We are in the society that, more and more, we go towards that direction that everything is organized and structured," Perez said. "I'm trying to recreate somehow a little bit of the street ball at the club. How do we do that? Having a couple of training sessions a day, having a second session that is a little bit [looser], a little bit more informal ... It's more relaxed, it's a little more goofy. That's the part I was missing."
Childress is right there with him. He spoke about how the urban footprint of street soccer invites everyone into the game, countering the infamous issue of affordability in American soccer and youth development.
"I hope that you know, when [the Academy players] reflect on the experience, they take away more than just like, 'Oh, it was cool. We won this thing. We got free tickets,'" Childress said. "I hope they really enjoyed the freedom of the street soccer. ... I think that's something that, as an American and as someone who's been in the youth development space for 10-plus years, I truly think that's something that's missing in our country and in our youth development.
"I mean, just look at the France [National Team], right? So many of those guys grew up in like the Parisian suburbs ... Look at these guys like [Kylian] Mbappé, [Michael] Olise, [Ousmane] Dembélé, [Rayan] Cherki. I guarantee you, those are all guys that played in the streets for hours and hours and hours, and they really learned who they were as footballers. They learned how to express themselves."
More than just playing fast-paced, intense football, the 3v3 street soccer format was a mental pivot. It's a version of the game that demands the expression and ingenuity Childress mentioned. And it's a lesson that extends far beyond the game of soccer.
"It translates the true mentality and the true kind of end product that we want to build," Perez said. "We want to build players that are resilient, they can compete up. It's like life, finding solutions for the problems that they are facing."
