College Coaches Use Atlanta United Academy Showcase to Evaluate Top Uncommitted Talent
- Jason Longshore
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Atlanta United Academy College Showcase is designed with a specific purpose. It gives college coaches the opportunity to evaluate the best uncommitted players in the region, lined up against their peers, in a competitive and controlled environment.
Held at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, the showcase brought together leading youth clubs from across Georgia and the Southeast. Matches were structured to mirror the demands of the college game, allowing coaches to assess players over a full 90 minutes rather than through short appearances or isolated drills.
For Georgia Gwinnett College head coach Steve DeCou, that context is critical.
“We’ve had a number of Atlanta United players come into our program,” DeCou said. “A lot of times it’s late spring or early summer when we get a call that some guys are available. This gives us a chance to come out, evaluate them properly, and see how they compare in this environment.”
DeCou emphasized that showcases like this help coaches move beyond resumes or club labels.
“In my fourteen years here, I’ve seen the pathway structures change many times,” he said. “Whether it’s DA, ECNL, or MLS NEXT, the level of talent in this area is very high. What matters for us is seeing players perform against other good players and how they handle that level.”
That same evaluation lens was evident with the staff from Oglethorpe University, who used the day to track both known prospects and emerging options.
“It’s our job to find good players,” Oglethorpe head coach Jon Akin said. “Atlanta United putting on a showcase like this makes it very efficient for us. You’ve got strong local teams, a professional facility, and college coaches from all over the country in one place.”
Assistant coach Robbie Bruce pointed to the importance of comparison.
“Atlanta attracts a lot of top talent, and there is a legitimate professional pathway here,” Bruce said. “But there are also a lot of very good players outside of that direct pipeline. Having them all together allows us to see who can compete when the level rises.”
The format places pressure on consistency rather than moments. Coaches watch how players respond after mistakes, how they adjust to physical challenges, and how they manage decision making over the course of a full match. Those details often carry more weight than goals or assists.
For Oglethorpe, the evaluations were already productive. One signed player took part in the showcase, with several others identified for continued conversations.
“We’ve already seen one of the players we’ve signed here today do well,” Akin said. “There are others we’re keeping an eye on and communicating with. That’s exactly why we come to events like this.”
For college staffs, the value of the showcase lies in clarity. It provides a realistic picture of where a player stands relative to peers pursuing the same next step. For players, it is an opportunity to test themselves against that standard in front of decision makers who are actively recruiting.
The Atlanta United Academy College Showcase does not create outcomes on its own. What it provides is information. For coaches, it sharpens recruiting decisions. For players, it offers a direct measure of readiness for the college game.
That exchange is the purpose of the day, and it is why college coaches continue to make it a priority.