Cooper Sanchez got an early taste of the MLS game in 2025 and quickly used it to become one of the league’s emerging young talents.
Sanchez shone in his breakout season with Atlanta United in 2026 and was instrumental in Tata Martino’s return to the club. As Atlanta United remains in the playoff hunt this fall, the Washington native has seen his production increase to 28 games, five assists and more than 1,900 minutes so far.
Sanchez admitted he’s not sure how big his role will be this season, but he’s enjoying every moment of it.
“I think the season has been almost like a dream,” Sanchez said in an interview with SBI. “Having the opportunity to establish myself in the team by playing a bigger role has been a great step for me and my development. Things are not going well as a team, but I think what we’re looking at right now is that these games have to be won and that’s the only way we can look at it.
“Every game is an opportunity to show the fans that we are a winning club and that we want to win,” he said. “It might not look like it to me from the outside, but yeah, that’s our goal at the moment. The group is still together, the mood is good and we can’t really dwell on past results. We just have to take it one game at a time.”
The past 18 months have been a whirlwind for Sanchez, who has excelled not only at Atlanta United but also internationally. Sanchez was named to the U.S. Men’s National Under-17 World Cup roster last year and started three of the Americans’ four games in the tournament before their Round of 32 loss to Morocco.
Midway through the 2026 season, Sánchez was named to the USMNT U-20 roster for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and subsequently started the final four games of the tournament, leading up to the final. Sánchez has since used these international experiences as valuable lessons for the rest of his club career, knowing how important they are.
“It wasn’t a shock to me coming into the season this year because I worked hard,” Sanchez said. “I even earned the trust of the coaching staff to take this opportunity and I smelled first-team football in 2025 and I was able to play in the U-17 World Cup and that was a great year in itself. I asked myself: ‘How can I improve?’
“I also got to play in the U-17 World Cup and things didn’t go our way, but the experience was amazing,” added Sanchez. “I got to play in the U-20 World Cup Qualifying, which was another great experience, playing in big stadiums in Mexico and even playing in front of 50,000 fans in Azteca was a different feeling. This year was a step and I think it’s just the beginning because I want to keep improving.”
Coming into a first-team role as a teenager is always going to be an adjustment, but Sanchez has welcomed the challenge with open arms. Whether it’s dropping back into defence, setting up his teammates in the final third or trying to score himself, Sanchez is willing to do anything for the team.
While working with Martino was great for Sanchez’s development, he also credited former second-team coach Steve Cook for giving him the feedback he needed most.
“When I went into the game with the second team, I think as a professional, I didn’t really bite in the challenges,” said Sanchez. “It was something that Steve Cooke really brought up in me as a second-team player, saying, ‘If you add that, you can go far’. I think adding that desire to defend and press and things like that has been a real improvement in my game, but there are still things I can improve on.
“I think I can improve on the offensive side of the ball, be more calm on and around the court when I get a chance,” he said. “I can improve on my chances and creating chances, so I think that’s still something I can add to my game.”
Sanchez’s first full season with Atlanta United allowed him to not only develop chemistry with his compatriots, but also learn from several veteran leaders in the squad. Miguel Almiron has played in the English Premier League and the FIFA World Cup, while Breel Embolo has played in the German Bundesliga and French Ligue 1, while Alexey Miranchuk has spent several years in Italy’s Serie A.
Sanchez also used this season to learn from that trio of players, as well as his coaches, knowing that anything he can take with him could be important in the long run.
“I think the confidence that the coaching staff and my teammates have given me might be the most important thing,” Sanchez said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be the player I am now and I’m just trying to absorb as much information as I can. Everyone has their own experience, like Miggy and Breel and Aleksey playing in the big leagues and the World Cup. Even from a guy like Jay, I’m trying to learn a lot. [Ajani Fortune] passed the road and played in the USL and MLS NEXT Pro.
“Him [Martino] and his coaches always give me confidence,” Sanchez added. “I think the main thing I noticed going into the preseason is that they didn’t hesitate to put me in difficult situations to see how I would react and see things. They don’t put that much pressure on me, they kind of tell me to go there, do what you do best and play your part.”
Becoming an important player for Atlanta United has been a major goal for Sanchez, but he also dreams of following in the footsteps of his USMNT U-17 teammates. Kavan Sullivan, Mathis Albert and Julian Hall are three of Sanchez’s former U-17 team-mates who recently made their senior debuts during the September-October window and all three scored their first goals.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino honored 13 debutants at the latest camp as he prepares his squad for November’s CONCACAF Nations League window, as well as future competitions such as the 2030 World Cup Qualifiers.
Sanchez is excited about the future of US Soccer and hopes to be one of the next names on Pochettino’s team sheet in future windows.
“It’s exciting to see the guys I played with at U-17 level make their debuts and I can only say positive things about them all,” Sanchez said. “First and foremost, they are great people and great players as well. Each one of them is performing at a high level, which is very good and exciting for US Soccer as a whole as we enter the 2030 era.
“More and more young people are playing in MLS and in Europe, so I think it will only help the team as a whole to compete with some of the big countries,” Sanchez said. “When I go into every session, I think about those goals and the goal of playing in the World Cup with the USMNT. It gives you confidence because you see your teammates getting called up and you know it’s possible for you, too.”