An American in Barcelona's famous La Masia Academy system, there were plenty of eyes on a young kid from Denver. Adrian Gill was one of the most promising talents the United States had to offer the world of football.
In 2023, an ACL injury threw his chances of playing soccer professionally up for grabs. Almost three years of not touching a soccer field and two knee surgeries later, Gill has revived a career that was nearly done before it started.
Saturday night was another major milestone in his return. Gill made his MLS debut and started a full 90 minutes in Atlanta United's 2-1 win over Red Bull New York.
"It's been a long time since I've been dreaming about this," Gill said after the match. "Coming here and getting a new opportunity and finally getting to debut, start, play 90 [minutes], it's incredible."
Head coach Tata Martino called on the midfielder to start as the sole defensive midfielder against Red Bulls, a tall task given the visiting side's propensity for pressing quickly. But Gill was composed under pressure, completing 41 of 43 attempted passes, becoming one of 16 MLS debutants since 2010 to complete 95% or more of his passes.
Below is his passing chart, with a heavy concentration of short connections in the defensive midfield area and one cross field longball to boot:
It was particularly composed effort for a player who, for the majority of the 2026 season, has trained with the 2s. In fact, he told reporters after the match Saturday that he was informed by Martino that he would be starting just a day before the match.
"[I was] pretty shocked," Gill said. "Wednesday, I was playing with the 2s, then on Thursday they told me I was with the First Team, and on Friday, I was [told I was] starting. It was better I didn't have to get nervous the entire week thinking up to this day. I was ready."
Fellow midfielder Tristan Muyumba, who put in a Man of the Match performance next to Gill in the middle of the park, couldn't speak highly enough of the 20-year-old.
"[He played a] wonderful game, but I'm not really surprised because I've been seeing this guy since the beginning of the season," Muyumba said after the match. "Tonight he showed his quality, and I'm really, really happy for him. I hope he's going to have a lot of other opportunities to play and to help the team."
Saturday night's success was a trial, but the preparation was the real work, and it started long before the lights came on at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Gill earned a contract out of La Masia to FC Barcelona's B side in 2022, but he would never end up earning a cap with the side due to his injury woes. A move to Atlanta United in February of this year felt like an opportunity to restart.
He arrived to a 5-Stripes side that was already deep in the midfield, especially at the First Team level. Coaches prioritized Gill's progress by giving him chances with Atlanta United's second team. That's where Gill made his debut with the club this season, and he's gone on to start all 16 of his appearances. The reps allowed him to build confidence in his knee, trusting that with it he would be able to accomplish anything he set out to do on the pitch.
When Jay Fortune and Will Reilly went down with injuries during the week in preparation for Red Bulls, Martino called on the former La Masia man.
"He works well. When he goes down to play with the second team, he does well," Martino said after the match. "It's something that we value, the players that go to play with the second team and can perform there ... He was able to come in and step up."
Gill made sure to credit Atlanta United 2 head coach Jose Silva and Director of Methodology Javier Perez for their roles in supporting his development since joining the club. And, though his first MLS start is certainly a milestone in what will hopefully be a long career, Gill is as forward think as he's always been.
"I think they give me the freedom to learn how to play the six again, remember what it's like to play a 90-minute game and [have been] very supportive in everything I do," Gill said. "If I mess up, they're supportive and [have] helped me to get to this point. But obviously, there's so much more work to do, so we're not finished at all."
