Atlanta United FC: Time to Pay Attention

As the haze of football begins to dissipate, along with the accompanying disappointment from Atlanta fans, Major League Baseball and Basketball usually take center stage. This year, though, another team joins the cast, and deserves attention.

Atlanta United Football Club launched its inaugural season this past weekend in a pre-season game, dispatching Chattanooga FC (4-0) along the way. The newly minted Atlanta MLS (Major League Soccer) team is one of the best kept secrets in town. Although it is an expansion franchise, and located in a town that is supposed to be a “bad sports town”, expectations are high, and there is a quiet bubbling of excitement starting to surface.

Normally, regardless of the sport, it is exceedingly rare for an expansion franchise to have any sort of positive expectation going into the 1st season. Structurally, financially, and personnel-wise, history tells us that it is nigh impossible to field a professional team for the first time and be successful. The wind of rumor around this Atlanta team, however, seems to blow differently.

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There are a number of reasons that playoff chatter surrounds Atlanta United. First, Gerardo “Tata” Martino is Head Coach. No one needs to tell Atlanta fans, of any of our city’s fair teams, how important having quality head coaching is to success. Tata, as he is affectionately called, comes to Atlanta by way of Argentina, and a number of other places, and is accomplished, to say the least, most recently leading the Argentina National Team to the Copa América Final in 2015. Simply, the guy can coach, and at a high level.

Coupled with an impressive coaching staff, this baby-faced franchise is littered with a young, but incredibly talented, roster. It won’t be long before names like Miguel Almirón, Hector Villalba, and Yamil Asad are known city-wide. This is an attacking group that promises explosive plays in a sport many deem too dull.

In addition, there is a homegrown flavor to this new experiment. There are four players from the Atlanta area who have made the roster (Mark Bloom-Marietta, Andrew Carleton-Powder Springs, Chris Goslin-Locust Grove, Alec Cann- Decatur), with the 16-year-old Carleton already showing fleeted step in the Chattanooga win. With a combination of exciting international players, and local dudes who can flat out play, the product these folks will put on the field will be worth the ticket.

Arthur Blank, Owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and now ATL UTD, should have enough credibility with fans in terms of bringing quality sports to Atlanta. In spite of the recent Super Bowl heartbreak, Mr. Blank has made the Falcons, a perennially defunct and discredited team, relevant. He looks to be bringing that same relevance immediately with his latest sports venture, as well. Some national media types are already referring to Atlanta United FC as “Seattle South” ( A reference to the Seattle Sounders), due to the number of already sold season tickets currently at 30,000.

Next: Atlanta Braves: Updated Opening Day Lineup Preview

Yes, our beloved Atlanta Braves will throw first pitch soon. Yes, our beloved Atlanta Hawks seem to be flying toward a playoff berth. But, don’t sleep on this newborn Atlanta MLS team. Quality head coaching, a roster of very young, but very talented and exciting players, and a world-class facility coming in July, all foretell a future of success and fun with this team. We are Atlanta United FC, and pretty soon folks will hear from us. In more ways than one, Atlanta is united.