Atlanta United is giving their goalkeeping room a complete overhaul. With legendary American goalkeeper Brad Guzan now nearing age 40, Garth Lagerwey and the Five Stripes have kicked into action. They first added Josh Cohen from Maccabi Haifa, a player with UEFA Champions League experience. Despite the new signing, Atlanta kept their sights set on the goalkeeper position in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. They picked up Casper Mols from Kentucky in the third round. With the 19th overall pick, they selected Jayden Hibbert, out of the University of Connecticut.
Hailing from New Jersey, Hibbert traveled north to Storrs, CT to play his college ball. He played six games during his freshman year in 2022, registering his first career clean sheet against Holy Cross in. In 2023, Hibbert took the reins of the starting job. He started 14 matches, making 41 saves, marking an impressive total of just under three saves per game. He posted a trio of five-save performances in matches with Georgetown, Yale and a shutout victory over Villanova. He was named the Big East Goalkeeper of the Week on two separate occasions. He even made an appearance at No. 3 in the SportsCenter Top 10 for an impressive diving save.
The statistics and athleticism of Jayden Hibbert caught the eye of Atlanta United, one of the most well-known and successful MLS clubs in modern day MLS. Atlanta sports the highest attendance in Major League Soccer and have one of the top atmospheres in the league at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Hibbert is ecstatic about the opportunity.
"The possibility to play inside a stadium as amazing as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is more than a dream come true! The fans and environment in Atlanta is rival to none," Hibbert said. "I’m so extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given, can’t wait to embrace the city as well as the vast culture Atlanta has to offer."
Hibbert is not the only goalkeeper to come out of UConn. One of the best goalkeepers that that the league has ever seen was also once a Husky. Andre Blake was selected as the first overall selection in the 2014 draft, a goalkeeper out of UConn. Like Hibbert, he is Jamaican. The similarities write themselves. It almost goes without saying that Blake is a player that Hibbert admires greatly.
"Of course I love Andre Blake. He is someone at UConn that even the players look up to," Hibbert said. "With his extreme level of talent it is hard not to take pieces from his game or even study them. With him also being Jamaican his role as a role model for me multiplies 10 fold, I can only hope to train alongside him on the national team or even play against him in the MLS."
If Hibbert pans out even a fraction of how Blake did, Atlanta United will be elated. Hibbert was the second goalkeeper off the board, following Bryan Dowd of Notre Dame, who went to Chicago with the sixth pick. Hibbert also said that two goalkeepers he models his game after are Tim Howard and Emi Martinez.
It remains to be seen how soon Hibbert will get his opportunity in Atlanta with the moving parts at his position, but he has the profile of an MLS goalkeeper. His ability to get down low quickly and stretch for high shots should see him get a shot at some point. He also excels at high claims. The 2024 goalkeeping situation in the A is rather uncertain at this time, but watch out for Jayden Hibbert as one for the future between the pipes.
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