Field Insider

Profile

Full nameJoshua Ryan Atencio
PositionDefensive midfielder
NationalityUSA
Age24
Date of birth31 Jan 2002
BirthplaceBellevue
Height185 cm
Shirt number#12
ClubColorado Rapids
Defensive midfielder
27
Appearances
0
Goals
0
Assists
1789
Minutes

Domestic-league season · Colorado Rapids.

Injury-affected season

Missed 6 of Colorado Rapids's ~34 games this season through 6 injury absences (wound, groin). He still appeared 27 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.

Performance data · by competition

CompetitionAppsGAMinMatch
Major League Soccer270017896.86
CONCACAF Champions League100776.3

Scout report

Project playerBall-winning Defensive midfielder

J. Atencio is a 24-year-old defensive midfielder at Colorado Rapids, rated 41.4 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 103rd of 513 on scout potential in the Major League Soccer. An emerging talent, he has been a regular starter this season (71% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 6.64 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Atencio.

Judged on this season alone, Atencio graded 28 — a solid campaign that ranks top 38% of the 50 defensive midfielders in the Major League Soccer, on 0 goals, 0 assists and 6.641 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 15 → 28). Across the 6 seasons we hold, it's his best return yet.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 41, top 32% of the 50 defensive midfielders in the Major League Soccer. At 24 Atencio is in his prime years, and a market index of 8.8 reflects that trajectory.

Read the appearance count in context: Atencio missed 6 games through injury (wound, groin) out of roughly 34 this season. The 27 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.

From the career report
Read the full career report →

A career still climbing — Atencio is at his peak right now, and the curve hasn't flattened.

Peak: 2025/26Trending upInjury-hit 2025/26
Current potentialTop 32% defensive midfielders · Major League SoccerCurrent seasonTop 38% defensive midfielders · Major League Soccer19th-best defensive midfielder in the Major League Soccer103rd in the Major League Soccer · potential16th-highest potential defensive midfielder in the Major League Soccer
41.4
Ratingi
16th of 50 defensive midfielders
28.1
Seasoni
below regular-starter level
71%
Minutes
a regular starter
6.64
Def. actions / 90
high defensive volume

Output in context · Colorado Rapids finished 11th of 15 · a lower-table side

6.64
Def. / 90
85
Tackles
45
Interceptions
4
Clean sheets

6.64 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — high defensive volume, with 4 clean sheets across 27 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (11th of 15) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight.

Strengths

  • Availability. On the pitch for 71% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
  • Defensive volume. 6.64 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.

Watch points

  • Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.

Outlook

With a Rating of 41.4, Atencio carries the 16th-highest potential of the defensive midfielders in the Major League Soccer (top 32%), and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Colorado Rapids finished 11th of 15) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as high defensive volume (6.64 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Approaching peak years; value is still building (price multiplier 2×) with the best seasons likely ahead.

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.