MARIETTA — Training days look relatively similar between Cooper Sanchez and his teammates. Film reviews, training sessions, treatment.
Except after that, Sanchez shifts focus to high school.
“My mind’s on soccer as my first thing right now,” Sanchez said. “But I also need to graduate.”
The 17-year-old Atlanta United midfielder admitted it’s not easy balancing his final four classes — American government, English, statistics and sports science — and his MLS play, after signed a homegrown contract in August 2025. Taking sports science makes it more engaging at least, because he enjoys translating lessons on nutrition and recovery into his young career.
While Sanchez finishes up his senior year, he has made club history by starting the first four matches this season at age 17 or younger. He is also just the 16th player in MLS history to accomplish the feat.
Not only that, but he’s been a bright spot through Atlanta’s 1-3 shaky start to the season.
“It’s hard to find a player that’s 17 that understands that game that well,” Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said after the Five Stripes’ first win of the season.
Sanchez recorded 88 minutes and helped create opportunities in the attack, which created three goals for Atlanta.
When Miguel Almirón returned to Atlanta United in January 2025 after six seasons in the Premier League, the former 2018 champion quickly took note of the youngster.
“Since the first moment that I arrived here, of all the young players, he’s the one who’s surprised me the most,” Almirón said. “He’s a great player, he’s a great person, he’s humble, he always wants to learn. We’re very happy with what he’s doing; he just has to stay calm and know that we’re all here to support him.”
Those are not just words of praise; they serve as confidence boosters for the teenager. When Sanchez made his first start against Inter Miami last October, he felt shaky at the outset.
Those nerves also stemmed from starting against Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez — all of whom scored at least one goal in the match, and Messi notched a pair.
“Playing against those guys was a dream,” Sanchez said. “I used to grow up watching them when they played in World Cups, when they all played at Barcelona together, so to play against them was a true honor.”
Sanchez was 14 years old when Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina. The teenager had just started high school while in the Atlanta United Academy. It was much easier to complete school work then. On Mondays they would be on campus, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the facility, and Friday was a work-from-home day.
However, it wasn’t long until Sanchez started to rise through the academy. In 2023, he debuted for Atlanta United 2, becoming the youngest player to do so, at 15 years old.
Now, Sanchez has late training sessions with the first team on Mondays, so he fits in classwork whenever he can in between travel, especially on youth national team duty. Sanchez recently represented the U.S. at the U-17 men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar last fall.
Still, he partakes in “normal kid stuff” when he can, such as attending homecoming dances. But soccer has created a new life that’s rare for kids his age.
When was the last time he was in a “real school” setting? Eighth grade.
“It’s been a while, but honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for where I’m at right now,” he said.
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