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Atlanta United FC

Atlanta United Signs Machop Chol as Homegrown Player

January 19, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Atlanta United FC News Release


ATLANTA -Atlanta United today announced it has signed Machop Chol as a Homegrown Player. Chop was an original member of Atlanta United's U-18s during the Academy's inaugural 2016-17 season and has played the last four seasons at Wake Forest.

"Machop was one of the top collegiate players in the country this past season and we're happy to welcome him back to the club," Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. "As an original member of our Academy, it has been gratifying to see him continue to develop at the collegiate level. He's proven that there are several routes to becoming a professional and his pathway should be inspiration to all of our Academy players."

Chol, 22, was born in Sudan and emigrated with his family to the United States in 2000. He grew up in Tucker, Georgia and began his youth career playing for Decatur-DeKalb YMCA (DDYSC). He joined the Academy for the inaugural 2016-17 season and helped lead the U-18s to the Southeast Division title, scoring 11 goals in 28 games. He then committed to national powerhouse Wake Forest.

A four-year letterman at Wake, Chol played in 65 games with 42 starts and scored 13 goals and added 17 assists. During the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chol played and started in eight games, scoring three goals with two assists. After playing in 13 games without a start as a freshman, Chol broke through during the 2018 season as a sophomore. He played in all 21 games, started 14, and scored a career-high five goals while adding seven assists as Wake Forest finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country. The following year, Chol played in 23 games, started 20 and scored four goals with a team-high eight assists, leading Wake Forest to the national semifinals. Chol becomes the 10th Homegrown signing in club history.

Player Profile

Name: Machop Chol

Pronunciation: Ma-CHOPE

Position: Midfielder

Height: 6-2

Weight: 175

Birthdate: Nov. 14, 1998 (Age: 22)

Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan

Hometown: Tucker, Georgia

Citizenship: Sudan and USA

Transaction: Atlanta United signs Machop Chol as a Homegrown Player on Jan. 19, 2021.

2021 Atlanta United roster (as of Jan. 19, 2020)

Goalkeepers (2): Brad Guzan, Alec Kann

Defenders (10): Mikey Ambrose, George Bello, George Campbell, Franco Escobar, Andrew Gutman^, Brooks Lennon, Fernando Meza, Efrain Morales, Miles Robinson, Anton Walkes.

Midfielders (10): Mo Adams, Ezequiel Barco, Machop Chol, Jürgen Damm, Emerson Hyndman, Marcelino Moreno, Jake Mulraney, Eric Remedi, Matheus Rossetto, Tyler Wolff.

Forwards (4): Jackson Conway, Adam Jahn, Erik Lopez, Josef Martinez

^ - on loan from Celtic

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