Players

The Atlanta Silverbacks announced the signing of NASL Best XI player tand former Dutch youth international Hans Denissen on Feb. 17, 2015.

He joined Atlanta after spending 2014 with the New York Cosmos; he was a member of the San Antonio Scorpions before that, including an award-winning 2013 campaign.

“Hans is a tremendous coup for us,” Smith said. “He has great experience in both NASL and Europe. Hans is a very gifted player with a creative mind, great ability and vision, who is effective from both open play and dead ball situations.”

The three-year NASL veteran fills the traditional No. 10 role, bringing his NASL Best XI pedigree to Atlanta.

The 5-foot-11 Dutch playmaker featured for the Cosmos in 2014 after 46 appearances for San Antonio in 2012-13. On the strength of his 12 league goals for the Scorpions in 2013, Denissen earned a place in the NASL Best XI during his second year in the United States. Over the course of the 2013 season, he also added back-to-back Player of the Month nods in June and July and seven Team of the Week mentions.

Denissen turned his early San Antonio success into a Cosmos move in January 2014. He appeared in 11 matches for New York, including a substitute appearance against San Antonio in the NASL semifinal.

Prior to his arrival stateside, Denissen began his nine-year European career at hometown club Willem II in 2003, gaining Eredivisie and Europa League experience. He later moved to Dutch clubs RBC Roosendaal, where he scored four goals in 18 appearances, and MVV Maastricht before moving abroad for spells with Cypriot club Ayia Napa FC and FC Haka in Finland.

A 2009 return to the Netherlands brought Denissen 17 goals in a stint with FC Emmen in the Eerste Divisie. Denissen then briefly returned to Willem until he signed with the Scorpions in January 2012. 

In 2005, Denissen also appeared twice - against Finland and Romania - for the Netherlands Under-21 team in European Championship qualifying. Including current Schalke 04 star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Netherlands’ U-21s won both matches in which Denissen featured on the way to topping their qualification group.