Atlanta United Announces 2026 Special Olympics Unified Team, Presented by Gallagher

Published on March 16, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Atlanta United FC News Release

ATLANTA - Atlanta United announced on Monday its 2026 Special Olympics Unified Team, presented by Gallagher. Held at Mercedes Benz Stadium, the Unified Team celebrated the start of its 10th season at its annual Signing Day event where players signed their contracts and were joined by Atlanta United player Jay Fortune and Club Ambassador Brad Guzan. Gallagher returns for its sixth season as the presenting sponsor of Atlanta United's Unified Team.

Launched in 2017, Atlanta United's Unified Team is part of MLS WORKS' collaboration with Special Olympics North America (SONA) to form the Special Olympics Unified Sports Soccer Exchange Program. The program unites individuals with and without intellectual disabilities as members of one team to promote an environment of social inclusion through soccer.

Atlanta United Unified has four matches scheduled this season, beginning at home against LA Galaxy Unified on May 9 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It will then travel to Philadelphia to take on Philadelphia Union Unified on August 1. The team will also travel to play against Inter Miami CF Unified on September 5. For its fourth and final match of the 2026 season, Atlanta United Unified will host Chicago Fire Unified on October 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

All Unified matches are scheduled in conjunction with the MLS matches. This will be the team's first time traveling to Philadelphia and Miami. Playing host will complete the derby with LA Galaxy started in 2024 when Atlanta United traveled to LA Galaxy. This will be the fourth time Atlanta has played Chicago in Unified competition with previous matches in 2018 and 2021.

The Atlanta United Unified Team trains weekly at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground where training sessions are regularly attended by Atlanta United First Team players. Jay Fortune enters his second season as a Unified ambassador.

Unified teams play 11 vs. 11 matches to align with SONA's vision to have Unified teams play soccer's true format. The team features 11 athletes and 11 partners ranging from 16-to-25 years old.

2026 Atlanta United Unified Roster:

Athletes No. / Position

Alex Eberle #22 Defender

Daniel Ellis #32 Forward

Alex Evans #11 Defender

Alexander Guerrero #99 Goalkeeper

Xavier Hairston #26 Forward

Dee Harden #1 Goalkeeper

Anthony Hernandez #42 Midfielder

Kelly Robinson #7 Defender

Max Rusert #0 Defender

Steven Russell #17 Striker

Liam Stuart #19 Winger

Partners No. / Position

Alexander Bartlett #15 Central Midfielder

Jacob Chicoine #4 Centerback

Ike Elswirth #10 Midfielder

Camila Gomez #3 Defender

Austin Griner #8 Midfielder

Connor McIlhinney #2 Defender

Gage Moeller #12 Defender

Andrew Rubovitz #14 Midfielder

Emma Sim #13 Defender

Daniel Urshansky #18 Defender

Kyla Wagner #9 Defender

Coaches Title

Marty Jelleme Head Coach

Elizabeth Hardy Assistant Coach

Randi Jelleme Assistant Coach

Luis Luna Assistant Coach

Marco Patrie Assistant Coach

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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