Photo: Jeremy Fleming
By Jackson Shoe | @jackson.shoe
A year ago, Braden Dunham had yet to play a college soccer match.
Since then, the Furman defender has started every match of his freshman season, helped the Paladins reach the NCAA Men’s College Cup for the first time in program history and continued earning opportunities with the United States Youth National Team.
His latest opportunity came this summer at the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico.
Dunham was the only collegiate player selected to the United States’ 21-player roster. The rest of the group consisted of players from Major League Soccer organizations, USL Championship clubs and European teams.
Dunham saw action during the United States’ run to the Concacaf U-20 Championship Final, including a start in a 5-0 group-stage victory over Cuba. He also came off the bench in the Americans’ 3-0 tournament-opening win against Haiti.
The U.S. advanced through the knockout rounds and secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup before reaching the Concacaf championship match against Mexico.
For Dunham, the experience was another step in a development path that began in Georgia and accelerated during his first season at Furman.
From Atlanta United to Furman
A native of Peachtree city, Georgia, Dunham joined the Atlanta United Academy in 2018 after previously playing with AFC Lightning.
He eventually captained Atlanta United’s U-16 squad to the 2023 MLS NEXT Cup championship and gained experience within the U.S. youth national-team system before beginning his college career.
Dunham chose Furman as his next step and immediately became an important piece of the Paladins’ lineup.
The freshman started all 23 matches at center back during the 2025 season and played 2,097 minutes. Despite spending most of his time in the back line, Dunham also became one of Furman’s top offensive contributors.
He finished the season with seven goals and three assists for 17 points. His seven goals ranked third on the team.
Dunham’s production came during one of the best seasons in Furman men’s soccer history.
The Paladins finished 16-2-5, won the Southern conference regular-season championship and added the SoCon tournament title before earning the No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Dunham was named the Southern conference freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-SoCon recognition. His postseason honors also included United Soccer Coaches All-Freshman honors, second-team All-South Region recognition and a spot on Top Drawer Soccer’s Freshman Best XI.
Top Drawer Soccer later ranked him as the No. 2 freshman in the country.
A historic NCAA Tournament run
Furman’s NCAA Tournament run provided Dunham with his biggest moment of the season.
The Paladins advanced through the bracket before traveling across the country to face No. 8 seed Portland in the national quarterfinals.
The match remained scoreless until the 75th minute.
Dunham carried the ball forward and noticed Portland goalkeeper Joey Batrouni positioned away from his goal. From nearly 40 yards out, Dunham sent a left-footed shot over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The goal stood as the winner in Furman’s 1-0 victory and sent the Paladins to the college cup for the first time in program history.
Furman’s season ended with a 3-1 loss to eventual national champion Washington in the national semifinal. Dunham helped create the Paladins lone goal, combining with Connor Dunnigan to assist Luke Hutzell in the 87th minute.
Dunham was later selected to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament team.
By the end of his freshman season, he had gone from an incoming Atlanta United academy player to one of the most recognized young defenders in college soccer.
His involvement with U.S. Soccer continued soon afterward.
Continuing with the National Team
Dunham received a call-up for a combined U.S. youth national-team training camp in January before joining the U-19 team for a March camp in Alicante, Spain.
He was the only collegiate player included on the 20-player roster for the Spain trip.
Dunham earned another call-up in June for a U.S. U-19 match against Japan in Atlanta. Once again, he was the lone college player selected, this time on a 24-player roster.
Those appearances led to his selection for the Concacaf U-20 Championship.
The tournament roster offered a clear look at Dunham’s place within the US player-development system. 15 players represented MLS organizations, two came from USL Championship clubs and three played for European clubs.
Dunham was the only player representing an NCAA program.
His selection also continued a long connection between Furman and the U.S. national-team system. Former Paladins Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark and Walker Zimmerman all went on to represent the senior US Men’s National Team after playing collegiately at Furman.
Dunham’s route is different from theirs, and the American player-development landscape has changed significantly since those players were in college. MLS academies, MLS NEXT Pro and European opportunities now provide young players with several options before and after college.
Dunham has experienced multiple parts of that system.
He spent years in Atlanta United’s academy, played with Swarm FC in USL League Two this summer and has remained involved with U.S. Soccer while continuing his college career at Furman.
His first season does not establish the college pathway as the right option for every young player. It does provide a current example of a player remaining in college soccer while continuing to earn opportunities alongside professionals at the youth international level.
Dunham now returns to Greenville for his sophomore season with a much different résumé than the one he brought to Furman a year ago.
He has already started 23 college matches, won two Southern Conference championships, reached the College Cup and represented the United States in a Concacaf Championship. The next step begins with his second season at Furman, the Paladins open up their regularseason on the road at Clemson on August 20.
