Atlanta United has three goalkeepers on its senior roster. Brad Guzan, age 40, Josh Cohen, 32, and Jayden Hibbert … 20. Two decades span between the position group, yet it’s one of the tightest groups in the club.
Hibbert is the fifth-youngest Atlanta United player on the roster, but he brings plenty of experience. The MLS SuperDraft selection in 2024 has started 21 games for Atlanta United 2, played two years of collegiate soccer at UConn and represented his national team for an international window.
He stepped up in a huge way Saturday night when Atlanta United played Toronto FC, making his MLS debut filling in for Brad Guzan. Hibbert had four saves and was active all night claiming crosses and assisting in buildup.
One thing’s for certain when talking to Hibbert: He wants to make a name for himself here in Atlanta. We asked Hibbert 17 questions so 17s can get to know their up-and-coming keeper:
Do you remember your earliest memory playing football?
Yeah, my earliest memory was when I was four years old. There's a local town team called Teaneck Stingrays, and it was just fun. You’re out there chasing each other around. There were no real positions, just kicking the ball, doing fun games.
Who’s the person you’re learning the most from in the locker room?
Brad. Brad Guzan. Talk to him every day. He's always helping me out on the pitch, you know, giving me, you know, critiquing my game. You know, as a young keeper, it's good to hear from your senior. It feels like he really cares. You know, talking to him so frequently.
If you weren’t a professional football player, what would you be doing?
Two things, [I would] either be a D1 basketball player. Easily, I would like to add. And then, if not, a psychologist, just taking over my family business.
If you could be a one teammate for one day, who would you be and why?
If I could be one teammate, I would probably be Xande [Silva]. I feel like he lives this fun lifestyle, gets good food and stuff. It seems like he has fun.
Who is your idol?
Kobe Bryant is a big idol of mine, just because of his mentality. His iron is strong and unwavering as well. To approach life like how he did. They say you shoot for the stars, you land on the moon. If you approach every day to try to be perfect, you'll be great eventually.
Being a keeper is as much mental as it is physical. How do you get in the mindset of being a shot stopper?
Yeah, I think it's just consistency. You hone your work in the training sessions so when you get on the pitch, I actually think less. In training, my mind's always going, critiquing my positioning and all that. In the game, it's kind of just muscle memory. I'm just flowing with the game, not trying to think too much, because I think that's where you start to create errors in your game.
You’re the youngest goalkeeper on the squad by over a decade. What is the dynamic like with Brad and Josh [Cohen]?
Some of the jokes fly over their heads, and some of their jokes fly from my head. In all, it’s actually really good dynamic. I've embraced being the young guy and learning from them. [I’m] going to fill up the waters, going to get the balls, doing the young guy stuff because they did the same thing. Hopefully, when I'm a senior, I'll be doing the same thing and trying to help out the little guy that's just started out his career. I do appreciate them every day.
How would you write your own scouting report?
I would write an athletic keeper, comfortable on the ball, good distribution with both feet, with a willingness to constantly get better and very coachable.
What’s the best thing you learned in your college years at UCONN?
Probably outside of soccer, that [where] I learned and what I think a lot of youngsters miss in in football being homegrown. The college environment, being social, it made me be able to walk into the locker room and not be shy. [I can] talk to some quote unquote big egos in the locker room and be comfortable in that. Coming to Atlanta, brand new city, it's hard leaving your friends and your family. I think being social, college helps you with that in a plethora of ways.
What was it like being called up to represent the Jamaican national team?
That was really monumental for me. National team football, wherever your national team is, is huge. It opens doors to other clubs. It opens you to higher levels of competition. I'm in there taking shots from Premier League strikers. It’s very good to be called up in your national.
What’s your favorite Jamaican dish?
I always grew up eating rice and peas. My dad would always do that. Not so much Jamaican, but he would cook a lot of fish, tilapia and salmon. He always made it really well. Oxtail, of course, my grandmother, she could make some good oxtails.
You’re from Teaneck, New Jersey. What’s the vibe up there? Does it feel like its own distinct place or is it just a suburb of New York City?
I would say it's a burb of the city. It's extremely diverse. I went to a public [school], you got Spanish, Filipino, Asian, Black, white, everything in between. I lived literally five minutes from the city. After school, guys want to go to the park, go somewhere in the city, go to play basketball or whatever, we'd go there. It felt like we were New York City kids at times, but we lived in Jersey.
In your mind, does “Central Jersey” exist or not?
No. It’s funny you bring that up because I have friends like Daniel Russo last year with the 2s. He was from quote unquote “Central Jersey”. And I was like, “Bro, it's just north and south.” If you were south of Newark, you were south Jersey, that's for sure.
Who do you think is the King of New York?
When he was alive, it was Pop Smoke. Now it's going to go back to the original king, Jay-Z.
What’s one piece of advice, as a player, you wish you would have gotten when you were younger?
I would say seek more, to seek higher levels of training. When I come in here and I see guys like Jono, young guys that get a train at the first team. It always made me a little jealous. When I was 15, I was playing like normal academy, nothing too special. When I was younger, I would probably say seek more training and higher-level training.
What does it mean to you to be the record holder for saves in a single season for Atlanta United 2?
I love that. History is something that I want to make a statement with in my career wherever I go. To leave a legacy and to be remembered for something like that is huge. I can only hope to have a repeat this season. I'm looking forward to having a good year.
What do you want 17s to know about you?
I want them to know that I'm ambitious and I'm willing and wanting to learn more about how to be a goalkeeper. The whole position, not just the upper 90 saves, but the positioning, the footwork, the passing, the communication, the leadership. I definitely want 17s to know that I'm here to stay. I love Atlanta. I love that I got drafted here. It was huge for me. I want to cement my name here in Atlanta for sure.
