Tom Sweezy - MLS Aces
·6 February 2024
Atlanta United Sign Two Centerbacks In Stian Gregersen and Derrick Williams
![Article image:Atlanta United Sign Two Centerbacks In Stian Gregersen and Derrick Williams](https://image-service.onefootball.com/transform?w=280&h=210&dpr=2&image=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic1.squarespace.com%2Fstatic%2F584799e0ebbd1a711b5763b0%2F5cb543cee5e5f07a9e50a224%2F65c295b1c5f3da6b87e287d6%2F1707251272396%2FSG.jpg%3Fformat%3D1500w)
Tom Sweezy - MLS Aces
·6 February 2024
Atlanta United continue to bolster their roster with two centerback signings. First, Atlanta acquire Norway international defender Stian Gregersen from Bordeaux in the French Ligue 2. The 28 year old centerback seems to be the hopeful Miles Robinson replacement for Pineda’s side. Gregersen is a former 1x Tippeligaen Champion and 2x Norwegian Cup Champion. He has made 229 career appearances between Molde FK, FC Bordeaux, Kristiansund BK, and IF Elfsborg. During those games he has racked up roughly 18,000 minutes, 8 goals, and 4 assists. During this current European season, Gregersen played in roughly 1,000 minutes between Ligue 2 and the Coupe de France. Atlanta also sign MLS veteran defender Derrick Williams who they had initially acquired via the MLS Re-Entry Draft earlier this offseason. The 31 year old Williams now heads into his 4th MLS season after stints with the LA Galaxy and D.C. United. The former EFL League One Champion and former EFL League Trophy Champion heads to Atlanta after a career in which he has played in 363 games across multiple continents. Williams has played for the likes of; Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City, LA Galaxy, D.C. United, and Aston Villa.
I mentioned it slightly above, but Gergersen seems to be centerback number one on this roster. I think that the best starting duo will be him alongside Luis Abram for Atlanta in this 2024 MLS season. Derrick Williams seems to be the third centerback up to provide some veteran depth on the backline along with HomeGrown products Noah Cobb and Efrain Morales. Expect to see a ton of Gregersen and Williams in 2024 as Atlanta will attempt to figure out life post-Miles Robinson.