Club president Darren Eales said on the day of the MLS Superdraft that Julian Gressel was the most pro-ready player in the pool. He was proven right Wednesday – and over the course of the season – as Julian Gressel was named the 2017 MLS Rookie of the Year.
Gressel started the very first game in Atlanta United history, and earned himself a spot on the stat sheet for the first time in match two, when he set up one of the goals against Minnesota United in the team’s first-ever victory. He kept up that level all season long to finish with nine assists, the third-most for any rookie in the history of MLS. He also tacked on five goals to finish with the highest combined goal and assist total in the league among rookies.
As valuable as he was in the attacking third, it was Gressel’s versatility that set him apart and made him a critical piece of Tata Martino’s Atlanta United squad. He started in four different positions for Atlanta United this year, from striker to the back line. The 23-year-old made an impressive 32 appearances, including all 120 minutes of the club's first playoff match against Columbus Crew.
Gressel was clinical when his chances came up, ending with the second-highest shot conversion rate on the team (19.23%) for players with more than five shots. But nothing sums up his contributions more this: Julian ranks in the top six for the team in both tackles (26) and chances created (35). He was a force on both sides of the ball – rare tactical discipline for a player his age.
And the final numbers for the season: Gressel ended with 49% of the player vote, 57% of the media vote and 56% of the club vote for the award, bringing his average to 54% – more than triple the second-place finisher.
From pick #8 to jersey #24 to #1 rookie, it was quite a season for Atlanta United’s Rookie of the Year, Julian Gressel.
