Josh Atencio

Josh Atencio
Personal information
Full name Joshua Ryan Atencio[1]
Date of birth (2002-01-31) January 31, 2002 (age 22)[1]
Place of birth Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Seattle Sounders FC
Number 8
Youth career
2016–2020 Seattle Sounders FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Tacoma Defiance 45 (3)
2020– Seattle Sounders FC 90 (1)
International career‡
2017 United States U15 5 (0)
2017–2018 United States U17 5 (0)
2024 United States U23 2 (0)
2024– United States 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 28, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 2, 2024

Joshua Ryan "Josh" Atencio (/əˈtɛnsioʊ/ ə-TEN-see-oh;[2] born January 31, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team.

Career

Atencio joined the Seattle Sounders FC academy in 2016.[3] He made his debut for USL club Seattle Sounders FC 2 in August 2018.[4] Atencio signed a professional contract for the 2019 season.[5]

On June 15, 2020, Atencio signed a Homegrown Players contract with the Seattle Sounders.[6] Since then he has played as a substitute and occasional starter, appearing in the majority of games in 2021 and 2022. On April 8, 2023, Atencio scored his first MLS goal, a long-distance strike in a 3–0 home victory over St. Louis City SC.[7] He suffered an injury to his right adductor and spent several months recovering during the 2023 season, where he saw inconsistent playing time. By the end of the regular season, Atencio had returned to the starting lineup.[8] He signed a four-year contract extension with the Sounders in January 2024.[9]

International career

Born in the United States, Atencio is of Mexican descent.[10] He is a youth international for the United States having played up to the United States U17s, and was called up to the United States U23s in November 2023.[11]

Atencio made his debut for the senior United States national team on January 20, 2024, in a friendly against Slovenia.[12]

He was selected as an alternate for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics,[13] and played after Gianluca Busio was injured.[14][15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played September 28, 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Seattle Sounders FC 2 2018 USL 2 1 — — — 2 1
Tacoma Defiance 2019 USL 25 1 — — — 25 1
2020 USL 2 0 — — — 2 0
2021 USL 2 0 — — — 2 0
Total 31 2 — — — 31 2
Seattle Sounders FC 2020 MLS 5 0 — — 1[a] 0 6 0
2021 MLS 24 0 — — 3[b] 0 27 0
2022 MLS 18 0 1 0 — — 19 0
2023 MLS 22 1 2 0 — 7[c] 0 31 1
2024 MLS 21 0 0 0 — — 21 0
Total 90 1 3 0 0 0 11 0 104 1
Tacoma Defiance 2022 MLS Next Pro 7 0 — — — 7 0
2023 MLS Next Pro 7 1 — — — 7 1
Total 14 1 — — — 14 1
Career total 135 4 3 0 0 0 11 0 149 4
  1. ^ Appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage
  2. ^ Two appearances in Leagues Cup, one appearance in MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. ^ One appearance in FIFA Club World Cup, two appearances in Leagues Cup, four appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs

International

As of match played January 20, 2024[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2024 1 0
Total 1 0

References

  1. ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022™: List of Players: Seattle Sounders FC" (PDF). FIFA. February 7, 2023. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "ATENCIO Josh". Paris 2024 Olympics. 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "Josh Atencio Profile - Seattle Sounders FC". ussoccerda.com. U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Josh Atencio". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Sounders FC 2 Signs Midfielder Josh Atencio". Seattle Sounders FC. January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sounders FC signs midfielders Atencio and Dobbelaere as Homegrown Players". Sounders FC Communications. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  7. ^ Evans, Jayda (April 9, 2023). "Sounders use multiple scoring options, fueling run to top of Western Conference standings". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Evans, Jayda (November 3, 2023). "How Josh Atencio played his way back into Sounders' starting lineup to fuel Seattle's playoff push". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Evans, Jayda (January 11, 2024). "Sounders sign midfielder Josh Atencio to four-year contract". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Quiñones, Juan David (April 10, 2023). "Un argentino, un español, un mexicano y un venezolano dentro de los más destacados en la semana 7 de la MLS - LATINOS EE. UU".
  11. ^ "Josh Atencio named to pre-Olympics training camp". Sounder at Heart. November 13, 2023.
  12. ^ "USA v Slovenia game report". ESPN. January 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Josh Atencio Headed to 2024 Paris Olympic Games". Sounders FC Communications. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (July 30, 2024). "Josh Atencio makes Olympics debut". Sounders News. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Evans, Jayda (August 2, 2024). "Josh Atencio's return to Sounders unclear after U.S. loss in Olympics". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Josh Atencio at Soccerway
  17. ^ Josh Atencio at National-Football-Teams.com