For the 2s, the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro regular season ended with a first.
For the very first time in club history, Atlanta United 2 is headed to the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs.
It's the most important factoid in a season full of feats for the 2s. They reached their highest league finish. They broke their points record with four matches remaining. The league's Golden Boot Winner, Arif Kovac, and Playmaker of the Year, Cameron Dunbar, both wear Red, Black and Gold.
But above all, they have a chance to compete for the ultimate prize. To head coach Jose Silva and his side, that's what matters right now. In a few weeks time, the 5-Stripes will embark on their first playoff run, with everything in front of them.
"I'm really happy for this group of players," Silva said after his side clinched with a 4-2 win over Orlando City B Sunday night. "I love all of them, and what they achieved together in these nine months is incredible."
The first-time qualification is evidence of the Second Team's steady development, growth that trickles both up and down the Atlanta United pyramid. Atlanta United 2 alumni like Jay Fortune, Cooper Sanchez and more are thriving in the First team. Academy players are gaining a foothold on playing time across the two professional sides, proving to all the young talent at the club that opportunities are there to be won.
Kovac had a historic campaign himself, where he led MLS NEXT Pro in goals with 20 and broke Atlanta United 2's single-season scoring record. He broke NEXT Pro's record with five goals in one match against Huntsville City FC May 16.
Dunbar was the perfect compliment, the provider. He tied MLS NEXT Pro's single-season assists record with 13 assists and added 72 key passes, breaking the club's single-match record with 8 of them against Inter Miami II in August.
"[I'm] really grateful for all the confidence that the coaching staff has put in me this season," Dunbar said. "My teammates constantly helping me with their movements, with their positioning and they're ultimately putting the balls in the back of the net. I can create and give them passes, and then I leave the rest of them to put it away."
The midfielder from Carson, California arrived to the club after playing in the USL Championship for three seasons. His and Kovac's development was difference making for the 2s.
"The identity that we create as a group is [so that] our players can be the highlights of the league," Silva said. "I'm really happy for them."
Outside their two league-best performers, the roster top to bottom is chock full of talent. Former MLS SuperDraft pick Enzo Dovlo had a standout campaign. Homegrown products like Dominik Chong Qui, Ignacio-Suarez Couri, Jonathan Ransom, D.D. Sibrian, Andrew Jardines and more played vital roles in midfield, defense and between the sticks. Defenders Mohamed Cisset, Daniel Chica and Matthew Senanou often made up a physical back three that chipped in with a few goals.
Silva's promotion from interim head coach to the club's gaffer can't be understated as a reason for the success. The Spanish manager took over as interim for the final 12 matches of Atlanta United 2's 2025 season, winning six matches in a late playoff push that fell just short on the final day. A penalty shootout heartbreak in Chattanooga paved the way for the 5-Stripes to return with a chip on their shoulders.
The 2s won five of their first eight matches in the 2026 season, but the playoff birth didn't come without struggle. The 5-Stripes' playoff qualification came down to the final matchday of the regular season. In typically bizaree MLS NEXT Pro fashion, Atlanta United 2 mathematically could've finished as low as 10th and as high as third in the standings.
"I'm very excited for the playoffs since this is the first time," Kovac said. "I'm super proud of the boys, proud of the group, happy for the coaches, happy for the club because this year has been difficult, and I feel like we deserve it."
By securing a top-three seed in the postseason, Atlanta United will get to participate in NEXT Pro's Pick-Your-Opponent playoff structure. The first and second seeds will pick their opponents first, choosing from the the fifth, sixth, seventh and the winner of the eighth and ninth place Play-In. Once they've selected, Atlanta United 2 will get their choice from the remaining two sides, making that matchup all the more personal.
"Now this doesn't stop here, we go to the playoff," Silva said. "Let's try to win it all."
