Last Updated on September 21, 2026 by Mike
Joshua Atencio comes from one of the most soccer-oriented families in the Pacific Northwest. Born Joshua Ryan Atencio on January 31, 2002, in Bellevue, Washington, the American midfielder grew up surrounded by relatives who played and coached the game long before he progressed through the Seattle Sounders Academy and became a professional.
Atencio’s father is Andres Atencio, a former college soccer player who later worked in real estate in the Bellevue area. Joshua is the middle child of three boys, giving him an older brother and a younger brother. His paternal grandparents, Tim and OkSu Atencio, also helped establish a remarkable multigenerational soccer tradition. While Atencio frequently speaks about how important his family is to him, his mother’s name and the names of his brothers have not been reliably disclosed in major public sources.
Does Joshua Atencio Have a Girlfriend?
As of now, Joshua Atencio has not publicly confirmed a girlfriend. Reliable club profiles, interviews and established sports publications do not identify a current romantic partner.
Atencio has been relatively open when discussing his parents, brothers and extended family, particularly because so many relatives have connections to soccer. However, he has kept his romantic life separate from that public profile.
There is also no reliable reporting indicating that Atencio is engaged or married. For that reason, photographs or social-media interactions involving the midfielder should not be used on their own to identify someone as his partner.
Does Joshua Atencio Have Children?
There is no reliable public information indicating that Joshua Atencio has children. Neither Atencio nor the Seattle Sounders or Colorado Rapids have publicly described him as a father.
As of now, his personal interviews continue to focus primarily on soccer, his close relationship with his extended family and his professional development.
Who Are Joshua Atencio’s Parents?
Joshua Atencio was raised in Washington in a household deeply connected to soccer. His father is Andres Atencio, whose own family has decades of history in the sport.
Atencio has also publicly spoken about his mother and described how excited she was when he earned an opportunity with the United States Olympic team. However, her name has not been reliably established in the strongest available public sources.
Joshua Atencio’s Father: Andres Atencio
Joshua Atencio’s father is Andres Atencio. Andres has spoken publicly about his son’s development on several occasions and was himself a competitive soccer player.
Andres grew up in Richland, Washington, as one of six children raised by Tim and OkSu Atencio. Soccer became an important part of life in the household because Tim coached in the area’s youth system for decades.
Andres went on to play soccer at the collegiate level. His brothers Matt and Cristian also played college soccer, making high-level competition a familiar experience within the family.
When Joshua began displaying significant potential, Andres had a particularly close view of his development. He remembered initially wondering whether his son would become one of the strongest players in his age group, particularly when Joshua was around 10 or 11 years old.
Those doubts gradually disappeared as Joshua progressed with Crossfire Premier and then attracted the attention of the Seattle Sounders.
Andres Helped Joshua Reach the Seattle Sounders Academy
Joshua developed with Crossfire Premier before deciding that he wanted to test himself within the Seattle Sounders Academy.
Andres recalled that his son specifically told him he wanted to play for Seattle. When the family eventually contacted the Sounders, club staff already knew who Joshua was and had apparently been waiting for the approach.
Atencio entered the Sounders Academy in 2016 and quickly began playing above his natural age group. His development accelerated, and involvement with U.S. youth national teams convinced Andres that his son’s potential was becoming increasingly serious.
Andres later described Joshua as the kind of midfielder whose value was not always immediately obvious. Rather than being purely flashy, he praised his son’s constant movement, willingness to perform difficult defensive work and ability to earn the respect of teammates.
What Does Joshua Atencio’s Father Do?
Outside soccer, Andres has worked as a real-estate broker in the Bellevue area. The profession allowed him to establish his life in western Washington while his son’s career increasingly became connected with Seattle.
Even though Andres did not become a professional footballer himself, his playing experience allowed him to understand many of the technical and competitive demands his son faced.
The influence also extended beyond direct coaching. Joshua grew up in a family where discussions about soccer, competitive matches and training were simply normal parts of everyday life.
Joshua Atencio’s Mother
Joshua Atencio has publicly spoken warmly about his mother, but her name has not been consistently disclosed in authoritative sports coverage.
Her importance was evident when Atencio was selected as an alternate for the United States squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an interview with Seattle Sounders, Joshua said his father was extremely proud and his mother was particularly excited about the achievement.
He explained that his brothers and members of his extended family also contacted him when the news arrived, making the national-team opportunity a celebration for the entire household.
Although little verified information is available about his mother’s career or background, Joshua’s comments make clear that she has remained part of the close family support network surrounding him.
Joshua Atencio’s Siblings
Joshua Atencio has two brothers. He is the middle child of three boys, a family structure directly reported in coverage of his move to the Colorado Rapids.
As of now, the names of his brothers have not been reliably published by the strongest available football sources. What is clear is that both remain important parts of his life.
Atencio referred to his “brothers” when discussing the relatives who celebrated his Olympic selection, and his move from Seattle to Colorado brought him geographically closer to one of them.
Joshua Atencio’s Older Brother
Joshua has an older brother who also had significant involvement in soccer while the brothers were growing up.
Sounder at Heart reported that the Atencio family moved from Maple Valley to Bellevue in large part to accommodate the soccer ambitions of Joshua’s older brother.
That move ultimately benefited Joshua as well. Bellevue placed the family closer to important soccer opportunities and eventually became the hometown most closely associated with his development.
Growing up behind an older brother who was already pursuing the sport also meant Joshua was exposed to competitive soccer before his own academy career became serious.
His older brother’s name has not been sufficiently verified in major sports reporting, so it is safer not to attribute one based on unrelated public profiles.
Joshua Atencio’s Younger Brother
Atencio also has a younger brother. Like his older sibling, he has maintained a relatively private life.
In 2025, Joshua revealed that one of his brothers was living in Colorado Springs. That became particularly meaningful after Atencio was traded from Seattle to the Colorado Rapids.
Joshua said his brother and an uncle who also lives in Colorado had already helped him explore his new surroundings, including taking him to Boulder.
Having immediate family nearby helped make Colorado feel much more familiar than it otherwise might have after Atencio spent virtually his entire professional development in the Seattle area.
Joshua Atencio’s Grandparents
The Atencio family’s soccer history extends well beyond Joshua and his father.
Tim Atencio
Joshua’s paternal grandfather is Tim Atencio, one of the central figures behind the family’s connection with soccer.
Tim coached soccer for approximately 35 years in the Three Rivers system in Washington’s Tri-Cities area. Together with his wife OkSu, he raised six children in Richland.
Tim coached his own children and helped build a competitive family environment that ultimately produced several college athletes.
When Joshua signed a Seattle Sounders Homegrown contract in 2020, Tim spoke proudly about seeing his grandson take the family’s soccer tradition to the professional level.
He also recognized familiar traits in Joshua, particularly fearlessness and competitiveness. Tim believed those characteristics had appeared repeatedly across generations of the Atencio family.
OkSu Atencio
Joshua’s paternal grandmother is OkSu Atencio. She and Tim raised six children: Claudine, Matt, Andres, Cristian, Cynthia and Greg.
The resulting family became closely associated with athletics in the Tri-Cities region, especially soccer.
By the time Joshua became a professional, Tim and OkSu had 13 grandchildren, meaning Joshua grew up as part of a particularly large extended family.
Joshua Atencio’s Aunts and Uncles
Several members of the previous Atencio generation were accomplished athletes.
Joshua’s father Andres had brothers Matt and Cristian, who both played college soccer. His aunt Cynthia Atencio was also a standout athlete.
Cynthia played on Richland High School’s 1999 state championship soccer team alongside future United States goalkeeping legend Hope Solo. She later attended Arizona State University and became an accomplished collegiate runner.
Another uncle, Matt Atencio, played soccer at a high level and even spent time playing semi-professionally in Europe before later pursuing an academic career.
The family’s strong sporting background explains why Joshua has described relatives as such an important part of his identity. Soccer was present not only in his immediate household but across much of the extended Atencio family.
A Family Full of College Soccer Players
One of the most striking facts about the Atencio family is how many relatives reached the college level.
Joshua said after moving to Colorado that his grandfather came from an exceptionally large family, while his father was one of several siblings. Coverage of the family notes that the generation including Andres was heavily involved in collegiate soccer.
Joshua’s father, uncles and aunt helped establish a sporting tradition before he was born. That meant reaching professional soccer was not an isolated achievement emerging from a family unfamiliar with the game.
Instead, Joshua became the first member of an already established soccer family to push the tradition all the way to Major League Soccer and the United States senior national team.
How Family Shaped Joshua Atencio’s Soccer Career
Atencio’s own development began with Crossfire Premier before he joined the Seattle Sounders Academy in 2016.
He was only 14 when he entered Seattle’s system and quickly began competing against older players. Over the following years, he won several important youth trophies, including the Generation adidas Cup and a U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship.
Atencio also became involved with the United States youth national teams at U-15 and U-17 level.
His family background provided a useful foundation for handling that progression. Having a father and several relatives who had experienced college soccer meant there were numerous people around him who understood the demands of training and competition.
The Atencios were also intensely competitive with each other. Interviews with family members have described family soccer games as highly competitive, an environment that may have contributed to Joshua’s mentality as a defensive midfielder.
Joshua Atencio Became a Professional as a Teenager
Atencio made his professional debut with Seattle’s second team while still a teenager and scored shortly after coming onto the field.
In 2019, he signed a professional contract with what became Tacoma Defiance. He quickly established himself despite competing against significantly older players.
Seattle Sounders promoted him to a Homegrown first-team contract in June 2020.
For his extended family, the moment represented an important milestone. Generations of Atencios had played soccer, but Joshua had become the family member who reached Major League Soccer.
His grandfather Tim expressed particular pride, having spent decades coaching the game and watching his own children pursue it.
Joshua Atencio’s United States Career
Atencio’s progress eventually extended beyond MLS. After representing the United States at youth level, he earned his first senior national-team opportunity in January 2024.
He made his USMNT debut against Slovenia, starting the match alongside several other young MLS players.
Later that year, Atencio was selected as an alternate for the United States Olympic squad for Paris 2024.
When discussing the selection, he specifically highlighted the reactions from his family. His father was proud, his mother was excited, and his brothers and extended relatives flooded him with messages.
That response demonstrated how Joshua’s international achievements were viewed as family accomplishments as much as individual ones.
Joshua Atencio’s Move From Seattle to Colorado
In February 2025, Atencio’s career changed significantly when Seattle traded him to the Colorado Rapids.
Colorado sent Seattle $1.3 million in guaranteed General Allocation Money, with additional compensation potentially available based on performance.
Leaving Seattle was a major personal adjustment. Atencio had spent seven years inside the Sounders organization and had grown up in the region.
However, Colorado already had meaningful family connections for him.
An uncle had attended the University of Denver and continued living in Colorado, while one of Joshua’s brothers lived in Colorado Springs.
Atencio had therefore visited the state multiple times before becoming a Rapids player.
Family Helped Joshua Settle in Colorado
Atencio described family as “huge” in his life when discussing his adjustment to Colorado.
His nearby brother and uncle spent time showing him around the state shortly after the move. They took him to Boulder and helped him become comfortable outside the Rapids training environment.
That support made Colorado feel less like a completely unfamiliar destination and more like a second home.
For a player who had spent almost his entire career in Washington, having relatives nearby was particularly valuable as he adapted to his first permanent move to another MLS club.
Frequently Asked Questions About Joshua Atencio’s Family
Who are Joshua Atencio’s parents?
Joshua Atencio’s father is Andres Atencio. Atencio has also spoken publicly about his mother, but her name has not been reliably disclosed in authoritative football sources.
Who is Joshua Atencio’s father?
His father is Andres Atencio, a former college soccer player who later worked as a real-estate broker in the Bellevue area. Andres is one of six children of Tim and OkSu Atencio.
Who is Joshua Atencio’s mother?
Joshua has publicly mentioned his mother and her support for his soccer career, but her name and personal background have remained private in the strongest available sources.
How many siblings does Joshua Atencio have?
Joshua Atencio has two brothers. He is the middle child of three boys.
Does Joshua Atencio have an older brother?
Yes. Atencio has an older brother whose soccer ambitions were one of the reasons the family moved from Maple Valley to Bellevue when the boys were younger.
Does Joshua Atencio have a younger brother?
Yes. Joshua also has a younger brother. One of his brothers was living in Colorado Springs after Joshua joined the Colorado Rapids.
What are Joshua Atencio’s brothers’ names?
The names of Atencio’s brothers have not been sufficiently established by authoritative public sources, so they should not be presented as confirmed.
Who is Joshua Atencio’s grandfather?
His paternal grandfather is Tim Atencio, a longtime Washington youth soccer coach who spent approximately 35 years coaching in the Tri-Cities area.
Who is Joshua Atencio’s grandmother?
His paternal grandmother is OkSu Atencio. She and Tim raised six children in Richland, Washington.
Does Joshua Atencio have a girlfriend?
As of now, Joshua Atencio has not publicly confirmed having a girlfriend, and no reliable sports source identifies a current romantic partner.
Is Joshua Atencio married?
There is no reliable public information indicating that Joshua Atencio is married.
Does Joshua Atencio have children?
As of now, there are no publicly confirmed reports that Joshua Atencio has children.
Where is Joshua Atencio from?
Joshua Atencio was born in Bellevue, Washington, on January 31, 2002. He grew up in the Seattle area and developed through Crossfire Premier and the Seattle Sounders Academy.
Ronald Mike is a football writer covering the English Premier League, providing match analysis, tactical insight, and coverage of key rivalries and title races across the season.
