Atlanta United II Announces 2023 Squad, Four Former UPSL – Kalonji Pro Profile Players Named to Roster
Ahead of their second-ever MLS NEXT Pro season, Atlanta United II have announced major updates to their roster this Spring with the addition of four former UPSL players. Toni Tiente, Kofi Twumasi, Fuad Adeniyi and Karim Tmimi have all secured professional contracts with Atlanta United II for the 2023 season.
Representing one of the Atlanta-area’s best adult sides, all four players took part in a couple of superb seasons with Kalonji Pro-Profile in the UPSL Georgia Premier Conference. Fall 2021 saw Kalonji Pro-Profile play some of its best attacking football with 37 goals scored in 10 games, finishing first in the table ahead of the Atlanta United U19s. It was in this season that head coach and owner Bruno Kalonji began having conversations with the Atlanta United organization about recruiting his players.
“Our youth team plays in the MLS NEXT and so we’re consistently playing against Atlanta United teams and other top MLS academies. The club is now finally seeing its full potential on the adult side, and you can see that with the way our UPSL senior team plays. We had conversations with Atlanta United about bringing just one player in—Toni Tiente—and since that was going well, they decided to continue working on bringing more of our guys in.”
The conversations would continue between Kalonji and Atlanta United, with Kofi Twumasi and Faud Adeniyi also joining Atlanta United after Tiente. The latest Kalonji addition to the Atlanta United organization would be Spring 2021 Georgia Premier conference top goalscorer Karim Tmimi, who just signed his first pro deal this offseason. Tmimi spoke his journey from the UPSL to the pros.
“Joining Kalonji Pro-Profile and playing in the UPSL was essential for me because I need somewhere to play in the college offseason. Head coach Bruno offered the opportunity to train and put in work and play friendlies against some pro teams for exposure. After playing against Atlanta United 2 in a summer friendly match, we played against the U19s in the UPSL and I played very well that season. After their coaching staff had seen us play those couple of times, they started having conversations with us.”
“My goal is to take it day by day, in this game if you work hard then things will come for themselves. My goal right now is to succeed with Atlanta United and stay level-headed and focus on what’s right in front of me. I was just playing for my college in Georgia, and now I have the opportunity to train and play professionally with Atlanta United.”
During the 2023 MLS and MLS NEXT Pro season, all four former UPSL players have been told that they will be given opportunities to train with Atlanta United’s first team. Toni Tiente and Kofi Twumasi have also recently been named co-captains of Atlanta United II, signaling that both players will play major roles for the team this season.
Kalonji Pro-Profile is currently in the midst of another competitive season in the UPSL’s Georgia Premier conference, tied for second place on points with last season’s Conference champions, Atlanta United U19s. The two teams will face off for the first time this year on May 20th at the Atlanta United Training Ground to help determine Georgia’s top UPSL team.
About United Premier Soccer League
The UPSL was formed in 2011 and occupies the unofficial fourth tier of US Soccer. Across its Premier, Division 1 and Womens leagues there are more than 400 teams competing nationwide. The UPSL is now the largest Pro Development League in North America and is a National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated. UPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the league’s affiliation with USSF.
More information about UPSL can be found at www.staging.upsl.com or by following the league on Facebook (facebook.com/upslsoccer), Instagram (@upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).
Contact UPSL: [email protected] / Media: [email protected]