The Atlanta United midfielder had a stellar first season in Major League Soccer and has been named Goal USA's ROY for 2017
Coming into the 2017 MLS season, the race for Rookie of the Year looked to be a tight one, with talent at the top of the draft and several players who seemed primed to step in right away and make an impact.
Julian Gressel, the eighth overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, made sure that at the end of the year, there was one clear answer as to which rookie deserved the honor.
Despite flying a bit under the radar, Gressel settled into the lineup with expansion side Atlanta United early on, starting and playing well in the team's first ever match against the New York Red Bulls and going on to play 32 times for the club, making 24 starts along the way.