Position: Center midfielder
2021 Games: 11 appearances, 11 starts (981 minutes)
What went right in 2021
Emerson Hyndman has never quite justified his hefty salary for Atlanta United, but he had become a mainstay in the starting XI under Gabriel Heinze, showing his best form since the Frank de Boer era. And then the injury bug bit. Hyndman suffered a torn ACL in June and was ruled out for the season. Amar Sejdic was brought in as an immediate replacement, but that was a clear Emerson Hyndman-sized hole in Atlanta United’s midfield (something that probably would have been seen as a good thing after a disastrous 2020 season).