Five things to know about Julian Gressel, selected by Atlanta United with the eighth pick in the first round of Friday’s MLS SuperDraft in Los Angeles.
1. He is a native of Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany, who used an online service to come to the U.S. and enroll at Providence.
2. He started out as a wide player before moving centrally. He finished as a forward because of an injury. He scored 30 goals with 26 assists in 83 games.
3. His favorite app is Snapchat, his favorite food is turkey and rice that his mom makes, his favorite TV shows are Big Bang Theory and Friends, and his favorite music is House.
4. Technical director Carlos Bocanegra said that they liked he plays simply and they liked his size (6-foot-1, 185 pounds). He also has the type of personality that will enable him to fit in within the team.
5. He said he doesn’t know about the city of Atlanta (only visiting during a layover), but has been paying attention to the team and likes the roster.
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