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July 19, 2024

Exclusive: Inside Atlanta United’s Attempt to Return to Glory – Major League Soccer

After the final whistle of the 2018 MLS Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United seemed poised to dominate Major League Soccer. In their second season, they set a then-MLS attendance record with 73,019 fans, fielded a charismatic and powerful squad, and had a superstar coach in Tata Martino. With MVP Josef Martinez leading the attack alongside soon-to-be-record transfer Miguel Almiron, it looked like Atlanta was here to stay as a league powerhouse.

However, the glory was short-lived. Martino left to coach the Mexican national team, and Almiron was sold to Newcastle United for a league-record $19 million. The much-hyped replacement, Pity Martinez, didn’t live up to expectations. Despite flashes of brilliance in 2019, the cracks started to show, especially after Josef Martinez’s injury in 2020, which left him never quite the same. The club went through three head coaches, with Gonzalo Pineda being the latest casualty in 2023.

Now, Atlanta United is entering a new chapter. This summer, they parted ways with key players in a blockbuster transfer window. Thiago Almada was sold to Botafogo for a record-breaking $21 million guaranteed, with another $9 million in add-ons. Giorgos Giakoumakis joined Cruz Azul for $10 million. Caleb Wiley is close to a move to Chelsea for $11 million, with an immediate loan to Strasbourg. With over $50 million available to spend, Atlanta United is preparing for a complete rebuild, aiming to recapture the magic of their early years and return to the top of MLS.

CEO and president of the club Garth Lagerwey said :

“This is the fun part, now we get to add. We’ve gone through a whole bunch of pain to get to this point, but we’re in a position both from contracts and resources, we can build the organization we all want Atlanta United to be.”

A Strategy in Place for Filling Allotted Player Spots

Replacements for Almada and Giakoumakis are being sought out

The apparent? Start with Giakoumakis and Almada’s substitutes. After a record-breaking summer of sales, the club intends to fill both DP spots this window and has a sizable budget.

According to sources, the team plans to appoint interim manager Rob Valentino as head coach through the winter before appointing a permanent head coach. That timing suggests that a domestic candidate would win out.

Regarding players, it was disclosed last week that Atlanta and Russia international Alexsey Miranchuk are in advanced negotiations for a deal. Technical director Carlos Bocanegra visited the player and continued negotiations in Italy last week, so the deal is moving forward, though nothing is finalized yet. Additionally, the club has more goals.

Lagerwey said:

“We have the ability to spend all of the money we accrued and reinvest that. We have lots of options, we are not going to make stupid deals just for the sake of getting something done.”

Miranchuk fits the type of player Lagerwey has historically targeted with his most valuable roster spots: a diligent player in the prime of his career with experience in multiple leagues. The 28-year-old Miranchuk has achieved success in Italy and Russia.

The search for a center forward is also ongoing in Atlanta. Intermediaries suggest a scroll of names between both. Oscar and Callum Wilson are two players whose names have been mentioned, but Atlanta would instead focus on younger players. Not so much as Almada is young—signed as a 20-year-old rising talent—but more like in their prime.

Lagerwey said:

“We’ve had less success since 2018, we want to rectify that. We want to evolve our player model and sign more prime-age players that maybe have less financial value but more competitive value. In this phase in our evolution, our primary objective is to win titles.”

Atlanta Made This Turnaround After a Significant Redesign 

In his first year as club president and CEO, Lagerwey oversaw 19 exits

When Garth Lagerwey took over as club president after the 2022 season, Atlanta United was in disarray. Despite having some talented and high-priced players, the squad needed more cohesion. After an internal review, Lagerwey determined that the roster wasn’t built to contend for titles and needed significant restructuring.

At the top of the list was addressing the team’s underperforming stars. Luiz Araujo, signed from Lille for up to $12 million, struggled to find his footing, often overlapping with Thiago Almada’s position on the field. Araujo was sold in the summer of 2023, allowing Almada to thrive. But more than just tweaks were needed—the roster required a complete overhaul. 

The club’s salary cap was problematic. Lagerwey set out to create more flexibility by parting ways with 14 players in his first offseason, including club legend Josef Martinez. Another five left in the summer, bringing the total departures to 19, primarily players underperforming relative to their contracts.

These moves freed up space to improve the quality and chemistry of the team. Summer signings Tristan Muyumba, Saba Lobjanidze, and Xande Silva immediately made an impact as starters. More recently, Bartosz Slisz and Stian Gregerave joined the squad, while longtime right-back Brooks Lennon remained. Left-backback Pedro Amador was signed to replace Caleb Wiley, who is expected to leave soon.

Atlanta sits 12th in the Eastern Conference with 25 points after 24 matches, still in contention for a playoff spot. However, the focus is on building a sustainable, competitive team for the future, hoping to recapture the magic of their 2017-18 peak by the 2025 season.

Lagerwey added:

“We’ve walked through the darkness. The light is ahead.”

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