ATLANTA – Atlanta United 2 announced on Monday it had signed defender Patrick Nielsen. He was originally drafted by Atlanta United with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

“Patrick joins us following a successful college career, and we are excited to see him grow at the professional level,” said ATL UTD 2 head coach Stephen Glass. “We will push him to emulate the successes of fellow center backs that have recently come through Atlanta United 2 and featured for the First Team.”

Nielsen competed for the past two seasons at Michigan State University, where he totaled 33 appearances with three goals and three assists while being named to the First Team All-Big Ten in 2018 and the Second Team in 2019. The Danish center back started all 23 games for the Spartans in 2018 and anchored a backline that allowed just 22 goals in 23 games.

The defender helped lead the team to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2018 after he assisted the game-winning goal against James Madison in the Elite Eight and scored against Akron in the Semifinals. Nielsen transferred to Michigan State after attending Cincinnati in 2016 where he played 17 matches and recorded two assists.

Additionally, Nielsen competed in USL League Two for the Flint City Bucks during the club’s title-winning 2019 season.