Miles Gordon Robinson is one of the players in Major League Soccer looking to earn a spot in the US National Team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A native of Arlington, Massachusetts, Robinson played for four years for the FC Bolts Celtic as a teenager.
He was named in the U-15 and U-16 All-Eastern Conference Starting XI and was a team captain during his senior year of high school.
Robinson scrimmaged with the U-18 United States National Team before enrolling at Syracuse University. As a freshman in 2015, he was an ACC All-Freshman selection as the Orange posted nine clean sheets. He finished third on the team with four goals, three coming with headers. Robinson was also named on the ACC All-Tournament Team and the All-Academic Team.
Syracuse made the 2015 NCAA Tournament and Robinson scored in the Sweet 16 against Seattle in a 3-1 win. The Orange went on to make the Final Four before losing to Clemson on penalty kicks after a goalless draw.
As a sophomore in 2016, Robinson was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an NSCAA All-American First Team selection. Syracuse posted 11 clean sheets in 18 games, a school record. Robinson scored four goals that season, including two against St. John's.
Syracuse again made the NCAA Tournament, losing to ACC rivals North Carolina 1-0 in the Sweet 16.
Robinson left Syracuse to turn pro after his sophomore season. In his 42 games at Syracuse, Robinson contributed towards 20 clean sheets.
Miles Robinson and Atlanta United FC
Expansion side Atlanta United FC used their first-ever MLS SuperDraft pick on Robinson when they made him the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft. Robinson didn't debut with the Five Stripes right away though, as they sent him on loan to Charleston Battery of the USL in 2017. He played six games for the Battery, with one goal scored. He then made his Atlanta United debut in the US Open Cup before going on loan to Atlanta United 2 in 2018.
Robinson made his MLS debut on April 7, 2018, and featured in 10 games that season with three starts. He started one playoff game and also appeared in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Finals. Robinson was an unused sub as Atlanta United won the 2018 MLS Cup 2-0 over Portland Timbers.
In 2019, Robinson played in all 34 games for Atlanta, including 33 starts. He set a club record with 2,978 minutes played and was named in the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week five times. With Robinson on the field, Atlanta led the MLS with 14 clean sheets, leading him to be named in the MLS Best XI.
Atlanta United won the US Open Cup and Robinson played every minute of the tournament. He also scored his first-ever Atlanta United goal on June 18 against Columbus in this competition.
Robinson missed the MLS Cup Playoffs with a hamstring injury suffered with the US National Team and Atlanta were unable to defend their title. He did start all four games in the CONCACAF Champions League though and helped Atlanta United win the Campeones Cup 3-2 against Club America.
In 2020, Robinson missed the first two games of the MLS season and the CONCACAF Champions League. He returned as a starter in the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando in July. United were eliminated in the group stage with three losses and Robinson played 90 minutes in each match. When the regular season resumed, Robinson played in the first eight games with 90-minute shifts in five of those.
After getting a game off at the end of September, he started in back-to-back clean sheets and played the full 90 minutes in three straight games in October. Robinson finished the season with a full 90 minutes at Columbus on November 8, but a 2-1 loss eliminated Atlanta United from the playoff race.
Stepping up to USMNT
In 2016, Robinson earned an invitation to the U-20 Men's National Team Camp. He also helped the team claim the NTC Invitational, starting in games against Costa Rica, Panama and Japan.
He played for the U-20 team in the 2016 Four Nations Tournament in Manchester, England, with appearances against the home side and the Netherlands.
In 2019, Robinson played two games for the U-23 Men's National Team before being called up to the senior Men's National Team. Robinson made his full United States debut on September 6, 2019, against Mexico in a 3-0 friendly loss.
Four days later, he came off the bench against Uruguay and played 25 minutes in a 1-1 draw. Robinson was an unused sub as the US beat Cuba 7-0 in the 2019 CONCACAF Nations League. Days later, he was forced to leave the US training camp with a hamstring injury days before the match against Canada.
Robinson was invited to the National Team training camp in January 2020, but Atlanta United refused to release him as they prepared for the CONCACAF Champions League.
Personal life
Robinson grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, the son of Jeff Robinson and Jane Madden. His sister, Rebecca, ran track and field at Syracuse.
Net worth
Robinson signed a contract extension with Atlanta United FC in October 2019. The new deal keeps him with the team through the 2023 MLS season.
Robinson's new contract includes a base salary of $145,000 per year and a guaranteed salary totaling $201,000. These numbers can go up based on how the team performs in the US Open Cup, MLS Playoffs and Champions League.