Atlanta United 2 today announced the signing of defender Matthew Edwards and Daniel Russo. Edwards joins after playing the last three seasons at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the Tar Heels, Edwards played in Atlanta United’s Academy. Edwards is signed through the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season. Russo played the past four seasons with the Fighting Irish. Russo is signed through the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season pending league and federation approval.
Edwards joined the Atlanta United Academy in 2019 at the U-17 level. The versatile defender served as captain of the U-19 side and got a taste of professional soccer during the 2020 USL Championship season when he made eight appearances for ATL UTD 2. Edwards then chose to sign a letter of intent to attend the University of North Carolina.
With the Tar Heels, the Apex, N.C. native played in four matches during his freshman campaign. That playing time increased the following season, when Edwards played and started in all 21 matches for UNC. He was a mainstay on the backline that produced eight clean sheets. Edwards backed up that season with another strong performance in 2023. He played in 18 matches, including 16 starts, and recorded two assists. He helped the Tar Heels make a run to the ACC Tournament Final and the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
Daniel Russo played his prep career at Jackson Memorial and was a member of the New York Red Bulls Academy before heading to South Bend. In his first season at Notre Dame, Russo made 13 appearances, including five starts, and had one goal and one assist. He continued to progress the following season, playing in 24 matches and tallying three goals and four assists.
His best scoring output of his collegiate career came in his junior year in 2022. He led the Irish in points (16) and goals scored (6) while playing in all 17 matches and tallied his first hat-trick of his career in a comeback win against Michigan. In his final season at Notre Dame, Russo played a career-high 1,444 minutes and found the back of the net four times. Notre Dame advanced to the College Cup Final before falling 2-1 to Clemson, while Russo started every match of the team’s NCAA Tournament run. He finished his Notre Dame career with 14 goals and 11 assists.