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“There will never be a greater honor”:

Jonathan Ransom cherishes Christian Carrillo Award as the club celebrates the player and person behind its namesake

By Atlanta United FC

February 17^th, 2026

Today, February 17, Atlanta United celebrates a player who embodied what it means to be a teammate. Today is Christian Carrillo day.

Christian played in Atlanta United’s Academy, a starting goalkeeper at multiple age levels and a call up to United States Youth National Team camp. His sudden passing in February 2022 happened now over four years ago, but the Academy is not letting his memory go forgotten.

Back in September of last year, friends and families, coaches and players gathered on the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to celebrate the annual Atlanta United Academy Dinner. There, the 2025 winner of the Christian Carrillo Award was announced. Created after his passing, the distinction is given to the Academy player who best exemplifies the values that Christian lived by: leadership, determination, selflessness.

His story is well known throughout the Academy, and those in attendance could feel the weight of what the award means. Jonathan Ransom, a former Academy teammate of Christian’s, was the latest player to receive the honor.

“I wouldn’t be the person I [am] without Chris,” Jonathan said later that year.

Atlanta United U15 Academy player Christian Carrillo poses for a headshot at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, GA, on Saturday January 8, 2022. (Photo by Mitchell Martin/Atlanta United)

Jonathan Ransom signs a homegrown deal at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, Ga. on Friday, October 10, 2025. (Photo by Matthew Dingle/Atlanta United)

Though Jonathan couldn’t be there to accept the award himself — he was out on international duty — his parents accepted in his place. Jeremy and Stephanie Ransom couldn’t hide the emotion.

“My first thought was, there will never be a greater honor in Jonathan’s career than that,” Jeremy said.

Christian’s absence and impact is still felt throughout the club. Former Academy Director and current assistant coach Matt Lawrey, First Team midfielder Cooper Sanchez, Jonathan and more had the fortune of sharing the game of soccer with him throughout his life.

Each gave their own account of who Christian was. Whether from the perspective of a former teammate or coach, the sentiment was all the same. They all smiled.

“[He was] a very humble kid,” Sanchez said. “He just went around and did his work. He was an unbelievable person as well. He was very funny, got along with everybody, made friends, made sure everyone was together.”

“Everyone loved him. Everyone knew that he gave more for others than he gave for himself,” Lawrey said.

“He cared for everybody else more than he cared about himself,” Jonathan said. “He was always putting you first, no matter if that was soccer or life. I don’t know if there was a person that wasn’t friends with him.”

Those who knew Christian describe him as the consummate teammate. As a goalkeeper, his leadership was evident, but his style was more unique. The position demands constant and effective communication on the pitch, which usually lends to talkative and forward leaders. Christian was a little different.

“He was definitely a quiet leader,” Lawrey said. “And those quiet leaders, they get remembered really, really well.”

That subdued nature may not be commonplace for goalkeepers, but it didn’t change a thing about the way Christian played the game or led his team.

“He was one of the best keepers I've played with at a young age,” Sanchez said. “He wasn't the most vocal person on the field, but he led by his play and his stature in the goal. You could feel that. I didn't have any worries about the other team scoring or Chris making mistakes. I was always comfortable with him in the goal.”

Though Jonathan’s approach to leadership is more on the noisy side — Lawrey compared it to that of the boisterous club legend Brad Guzan — he still leads like Christian did, by bringing people together and lifting them up.

Above all, Christian was all about putting others before himself. It was the common thread in Lawrey, Sanchez and Jonathan’s memories about him.

“It's the piece that gets lost on professional academies, it's the selflessness,” Lawrey said. “I think we oftentimes look at what professional academies created in terms of their players, this player made it, that player made it, it becomes very individual attention. Christian represented, [the idea that] I'm going to show up every single day and maybe have a bad day, but I'm going to make my teammates better. That's rare in this world and within professional academies, and I think we have to celebrate that.”

Scenes from the Christian Carrillo Memorial Service at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, Georgia, on Wednesday February 16, 2022. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta United)

Creating the Christian Carrillo award seemed a fitting method for preserving his memory. When club officials get together to decide who should receive the award each year, the parameters aren’t necessarily skill driven.

“We focus more on that kind of player that kind of player that is a leader,” said Javier Perez, Atlanta United Director of Methodology. “For being hard working, for being humble, for being a good teammate and striving to be better every day.”

Since the club began the award, three players have received it. Jonathan understands the gravity of his selection because he himself walked alongside Christian in soccer and in life. He credits his late teammate as being a catalyst for some of his own personal development, namely being more outgoing and friendly to those around him.

Scenes from the Atlanta United Academy Dinner at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. (Photo by Matt Bish/Atlanta United)

Christian Carrillo is honored at half-time during the 2022 Opening Day match against Sporting Kansas City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States on Sunday February 27, 2022. (Photo by Dakota Williams/Atlanta United)

The club will come together tonight in Christian’s name as Academy players participate in goalkeeper games, taking a break from the intense training schedules of their early Academy season. Parents and players will gather and celebrate with food, music and memories.

To Lawrey, Christian’s story is just another example of how the Academy’s work is always bigger than just developing soccer players.

“This Academy will create kids that you will cheer for on Saturday,” Lawrey said, “but it's also going to affect entire communities around Atlanta that are going to grow the game and make people closer to Atlanta United and what this sport is supposed to be, which is bringing people together.”

Jonathan will more than likely be one of those players at one point. He’s on track to build a successful career in professional soccer full of personal and team accomplishments. Still, there’s one award he’ll always hold above the rest.

“Winning [the Christian Carrillo Award] for me, is probably the biggest accomplishment,” Jonathan said. “You can sign a contract, you can make your debut, but that [award] means more to me personally than I think anything else ever will.”