ATLANTA (July 23, 2025) - Atlanta United 2 announced today that head coach Steve Cooke will leave to join USL Championship club Lexington SC as the side's Academy and Youth Technical Director effective immediately. Cooke joined ATL UTD 2 in February 2023 and has coached the team since its debut in MLS NEXT Pro. Assistant coach Jose Silva will take over as interim head coach as the club begins a search for a replacement.
“We would like to thank Steve for his service to the club for the past two and a half years,” said Atlanta United Director of Methodology Javier Peréz. “He played a key role in strengthening our development pathway from the Academy to the First Team, and his efforts have helped lay a strong foundation for the future. We will begin the search for his replacement immediately.”
Atlanta United 2 (3-5-8, 19 points) returns to action Wednesday, July 30 when it travels to New England Revolution II at Gillette Stadium (11 a.m. ET, MLS Season Pass, Soccer Down Here). Some ATL UTD 2 matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app while the remainder of matches are streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
