Atlanta United FC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Atlanta United

Full name	Atlanta United FC
Nickname(s)	The Five Stripes
Short name	ATL UTD
Founded	April 16, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-04-16)
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Stadium capacity	42,500 (expandable to 71,000, standing room to at least 73,019)
Owner	Arthur Blank
President	Garth Lagerwey
Head coach	Ronny Deila
League	Major League Soccer
2024	Eastern Conference: 9th Overall: 19th Playoffs: Conference semifinals
Home colors Away colors

Atlanta United FC is a professional soccer team from Atlanta, USA. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS), which is the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The team is part of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta United has won some big trophies, including one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern Conference championship. They also won the Campeones Cup.

The club started in 2014 and began playing in MLS in 2017. They were the 22nd team to join the league. Atlanta United is the first MLS team to be based in Atlanta. They play their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which they share with the city's NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons. The team is owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns the Falcons. Atlanta United also has a younger team called Atlanta United 2, which plays in MLS Next Pro.

Gerardo Martino was the first head coach. He led the team to the playoffs in their very first year. In their second season, they won the MLS Cup 2018, which was their first major trophy. Atlanta United has set many league records for how many fans come to their games. In 2024, experts said the club was worth about $900 million.

Team History: How Atlanta United Started

Getting an MLS Team in Atlanta

Before Atlanta United was formed, Atlanta was a big city without an MLS team. Arthur Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons, tried to get a team in 2008 but it didn't work out. However, discussions continued over the years.

In 2011, when the city's hockey team moved, it opened the door for soccer talks to start again. MLS commissioner Don Garber saw Atlanta as a great place for a new team, especially with plans for a new stadium that could host soccer games.

In April 2014, Arthur Blank announced that MLS had chosen Atlanta for a new team. The team would start playing in 2017. Atlanta was the second team to join MLS in the Southeast United States, after Orlando City SC.

First Seasons and Winning the Championship (2017–2018)

Atlanta United played their first MLS game on March 5, 2017. Over 55,000 fans came to watch at Bobby Dodd Stadium. They lost that first game but won their next one 6–1 against Minnesota United FC.

When they moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United continued to have huge crowds. They broke records for attendance at MLS games. In their first year, they made it to the playoffs. They lost a close game to Columbus Crew in a penalty shootout.

Josef Martínez was named MLS MVP when Atlanta won the championship in 2018.

In their second season, 2018, Atlanta United finished second in their conference. They made it to the MLS Cup 2018 final. On December 8, they beat Portland Timbers to win the MLS Cup! This was Atlanta's first major sports championship since the Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series. This win also meant they would play in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, a big international tournament.

Their coach, Gerardo Martino, left after this win. Josef Martínez was named the league's best player (MVP), and Martino was named Coach of the Year.

New Coaches and More Trophies (2019–Present)

After Martino left, Frank de Boer became the new coach. In 2019, Atlanta United won two more trophies: the 2019 Campeones Cup (beating a Mexican team, Club América) and the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. They made it far in the MLS playoffs but lost in the conference finals.

The 2020 season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a break, they played in a special tournament but didn't do well. Frank de Boer then left the club. Stephen Glass took over as interim coach.

In 2021, Gabriel Heinze became the head coach. The team signed new players and Josef Martínez returned after an injury. They made it to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. However, Heinze was fired in July 2021 after the team had a long winless streak. Rob Valentino became the interim coach. Later, Gonzalo Pineda was named the new head coach. Atlanta United made the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs but lost in the first round.

In 2022, the team didn't make the playoffs. Josef Martínez left the club after six seasons. In 2023, Atlanta United finished 6th in the Eastern Conference and made the playoffs, but were knocked out in the first round. They also played in the 2023 Leagues Cup for the first time.

On June 3, 2024, Gonzalo Pineda was fired after the team lost five home games in a row. Rob Valentino again stepped in as interim coach. The team sold some key players like Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis, which gave them a lot of money to spend on new players. Atlanta United finished ninth in the Eastern Conference in 2024 and made the wild card round of the playoffs. They beat CF Montréal and then upset Inter Miami before being eliminated by Orlando City.

On February 4, 2025, Atlanta United signed Emmanuel Latte Lath for a record amount of money, making him the most expensive player ever signed in the league.

Team Colors and Badge

An Atlanta United mural in Decatur, Georgia.

The team's owner, Arthur Blank, wanted fans to help choose the team's name, logo, and colors. They decided on colors that would work with the red and black used by the Falcons.

On July 7, 2015, the team officially announced its name: Atlanta United FC. The name was chosen based on what fans liked most.

Team Symbols

The team's logo has a circle, like the city's official seal and its connection to the Olympic Games. In the middle is a bold "A." Behind the "A" are five black and red stripes. These stripes stand for the five main ideas of the team: unity, determination, community, excellence, and innovation.

The team's official colors are black (for strength), red (called "Victory Red," for pride and passion), and gold (for being excellent). Because of the five stripes on their first uniforms, the team is often called "The Five Stripes."

Team Uniforms (Kits)

In February 2019, after winning the MLS championship, Atlanta United showed off a new home uniform. It was called "Star and Stripes." It had nine thinner stripes instead of five thick ones, red socks, and a gold star above the team's badge to show they won a championship.

In February 2021, they introduced an all-black uniform called the "BLVCK" kit.

Home Uniforms

2017–2018

2019–2020

2021–2022

2023–2024

Away Uniforms

2017

2017 Away Alt

2018–2019

2020–2021

2022–2023

2024–

Third Uniforms

2021

2023

Team Sponsors

American Family Insurance is the main sponsor for the team's jerseys. Other companies like Truist Financial, Piedmont Healthcare, AT&T, and NAPA also sponsor the team.

Developing Future Stars

Atlanta United 2: The Reserve Team

Atlanta United has a reserve team called Atlanta United 2. This team helps younger players get ready to play for the main team. They started playing in 2018 in the United Soccer League. In 2023, they moved to MLS NEXT Pro.

Youth Academy: Training Young Talent

Atlanta United also has a youth academy where young players can train for free. The academy has seven different age groups, from under-12 to under-19. Players from the academy can be signed directly to the Atlanta United first team. The club also has programs to find and develop talented young players in the Atlanta area.

Where They Play: Stadiums and Training Grounds

Home Stadiums

Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Home of the Five Stripes

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the main home for Atlanta United. They share this stadium with the Atlanta Falcons football team. For most soccer games, the stadium holds 42,500 people. They use curtains to make the stadium feel smaller and more exciting for soccer matches.

When needed, the stadium can open up to hold 71,000 people, or even more with standing room. This allows for huge crowds, like the 73,019 fans who watched the MLS Cup 2018 final. The stadium's field can also change to be perfect for soccer. The owner, Arthur Blank, promised that NFL lines would never be on the field during an MLS game.

The stadium opened in September 2017. Atlanta United's first game there was on September 10, 2017, against FC Dallas.

Training Facilities

The team's training facility is called the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. It's located in Marietta. This $60 million facility opened in April 2017. It has a large building with locker rooms, a dining hall, and sports science areas. There are also six outdoor training fields, including one with seats for 2,500 fans.

Bobby Dodd Stadium: Early Home

A view of Bobby Dodd Stadium, where Atlanta United played part of its first season in 2017.

In their first season (2017), Atlanta United played their early home games at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium. This was because Mercedes-Benz Stadium was still being built.

Club Culture: Fans and Traditions

Amazing Supporters

Atlanta United has many official fan groups, including Terminus Legion, Resurgence, Footie Mob, The Faction, LA 12 de Atlanta, and All Stripes.

• Terminus Legion started in 2011. Its name comes from Atlanta's old name as a railroad hub.
• Footie Mob started in 2014. Their name is a nod to an Atlanta hip-hop group. They are known for their pre-game parties and bringing Atlanta's music culture to the games.
• All Stripes is a fan group for LGBTQ+ supporters, started in 2017.
• La 12 de Atlanta celebrates Latino culture and its influence on soccer.

Fans of Atlanta United are often called the "17s." This is because the team's first season in MLS was in 2017. Many fan jerseys have the number 17 on the back.

Record-Breaking Attendance

Atlanta United is famous for its huge crowds. They have broken MLS attendance records many times:

• On September 12, 2017, they announced over 69,256 tickets sold for a game, breaking the league record. The official attendance was 70,425.
• On October 5, 2017, they broke their own record with over 70,456 tickets sold for another game. The official attendance was 71,874.
• In 2017, Atlanta finished the season with an average attendance of 48,200 fans per game. This was higher than many big European clubs!
• On March 11, 2018, they broke the single-game record again with 72,035 fans.
• In 2018, Atlanta broke the league record for average attendance again, with 53,002 fans per game. They were the first MLS team to average over 50,000 fans.
• On December 8, 2018, 73,019 fans watched Atlanta United win the MLS Cup. This was the largest crowd ever for a non-doubleheader MLS game.
• On August 3, 2019, they set another single-game record with 72,548 fans.

The Golden Spike Tradition

A fan signs the Golden Spike before a game in 2018.

Atlanta United has a special tradition called the Golden Spike. It's a nod to Atlanta's history as a railroad city. Before each home game, fans and players sign a large golden railroad spike. Then, a special guest carries it into the stadium and hammers it into a platform while the crowd chants "A-T-L!" After every win, the player chosen as the best player of the game (Man of the Match) also hammers a spike. Many famous people have taken part in this tradition, including musicians, athletes, and actors.

Who Owns and Manages the Team

Arthur Blank owns the club.

The main owner of Atlanta United FC is Arthur Blank. He is also the co-founder of Home Depot. The team is part of his company, AMB Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Since 2022, Garth Lagerwey has been the president and CEO of Atlanta United FC.

Coaching Staff

Role	Name	Nationality
Head coach	Ronny Deila	Norway
Assistant coach	Kenny Miller	Scotland
	Matt Lawrey	United States
	Carl Robinson	Wales
Goalkeeping coach	Elliot Parish	England
Head video analyst	Vanderloock, GauthierGauthier Vanderloock	Belgium
Video analyst	Orr, MacMac Orr	United States
Director, High Performance	Tenney, DavidDavid Tenney	United States
Head athletic trainer	Cropper, SeanSean Cropper	United States
Head of sports science & performance analytics	Abbott, JohnJohn Abbott	United States
Strength and conditioning	Day, JordanJordan Day	England
Assistant athletic trainer	Greg Gandy	United States
	Juan Rios	Mexico
Physical therapist - First Team	Cruz, MarioMario Cruz	United States
Massage therapist - First Team	Foster, SamSam Foster	United States
Performance dietician	Lynch, KaraKara Lynch	United States

Club Leaders

Role	Name	Nationality
Owner and chairman, Blank Family of businesses	Blank, ArthurArthur Blank	United States
Chief executive officer, Arthur M. Blank sports and entertainment	McKay, RichRich McKay	United States
President and CEO	Lagerwey, GarthGarth Lagerwey	United States
Chief soccer officer and Sporting director	Henderson, ChrisChris Henderson	United States
Senior vice president of strategy	Efstathiou, DimitriosDimitrios Efstathiou	Greece
Senior vice president, Chief business officer	"Skate" Noftsinger, Sarah KateSarah Kate "Skate" Noftsinger	United States

Past Presidents

• Darren Eales : September 2014 – August 2022
• Garth Lagerway : November 2022 – present

Past Head Coaches

Coach	Country	Start	End
Gerardo "Tata" Martino		September 2016	December 2018
Frank de Boer		December 2018	July 2020
Stephen Glass (interim)		July 2020	December 2020
Gabriel Heinze		December 2020	July 2021
Rob Valentino (interim)		July 2021	August 2021
Gonzalo Pineda		August 2021	June 2024
Rob Valentino (interim)		June 2024	November 2024
Ronny Deila		December 2024	Present

Players

Current Roster

No. Position Player 1 GK Brad Guzan (captain) 2 DF Ronald Hernández 3 DF Derrick Williams 4 DF Enea Mihaj 5 DF Stian Gregersen 8 MF Tristan Muyumba 9 MF Saba Lobjanidze 10 FW Miguel Almirón 11 DF Brooks Lennon 14 FW Jamal Thiaré 18 DF Pedro Amador 19 FW Emmanuel Latte Lath 20 MF Luke Brennan

No. Position Player 22 GK Josh Cohen 23 MF Adyn Torres 24 DF Noah Cobb 27 FW Ashton Gordon 28 MF Will Reilly 30 FW Cayman Togashi 35 MF Ajani Fortune 42 GK Jayden Hibbert 44 DF Luis Abram 47 DF Matthew Edwards 50 DF Dominik Chong-Qui 59 MF Aleksei Miranchuk 99 MF Bartosz Slisz

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 70 FW Edwin Mosquera (on loan to Millonarios)

Reserved Jersey Numbers

Atlanta United has reserved two jersey numbers to honor special meanings:

• Number 17: This number is reserved for the fans. It marks 2017, the year the team first started playing in MLS. The team says this shows that the fans and the city are the heart of the club.
• Number 44: In 2021, the number 44 was reserved to honor Hank Aaron. He was a famous baseball player for the Atlanta Braves who wore number 44. After he passed away, sports teams in Atlanta decided to retire his number as a tribute.

How to Watch and Listen to Games

Atlanta United games are broadcast on different channels and radio stations. Before 2023, most games were shown on Bally Sports. Now, all MLS games are available on MLS Season Pass through Apple TV+. Some games are also shown on local TV channels like WAGA.

You can listen to games on the radio on WZGC/92.9 The Game. Mike Conti and Jason Longshore are the commentators.

Team Achievements

Domestic Trophies

• MLS Cup
  • Champions (1): 2018
• U.S. Open Cup
  • Champions (1): 2019
• MLS Eastern Conference Championship
  • Champions (1): 2018

Regional Trophies

• Campeones Cup
  • Champions (1): 2019

Team Records

Season Performance

This table shows how Atlanta United has done in the last few seasons.

Season	League									Position		Playoffs	USOC	Continental / Other		Average attendance	Top goalscorer(s)
	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Conf.	Overall						Name(s)	Goals
2018	34	21	7	6	70	44	+26	69	2.03	2nd	2nd	W	Ro16	DNQ		53,002	Josef Martínez	35♦
2019	34	18	12	4	58	43	+15	58	1.71	2nd	3rd	SF	W	CONCACAF Champions League Campeones Cup	QF W	52,510	Josef Martínez	33
2020	23	6	13	4	23	30	-7	22	0.96	12th	23rd	DNQ	NH	CONCACAF Champions League MLS is Back Tournament	QF GS	27,193	Jon Gallagher Gonzalo Martínez	4
2021	34	13	9	12	45	37	+8	51	1.50	5th	9th	R1	NH	CONCACAF Champions League	QF	43,964	Josef Martínez	12
2022	34	10	14	10	48	54	-6	40	1.18	11th	23rd	DNQ	R4	DNQ		47,116	Josef Martínez	9

1. Avg. attendance includes statistics from league matches only.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

Player Appearances

This table shows the players with the most appearances for Atlanta United.

#	Pos.	Name	Nation	Career	MLS	Playoffs	USOC	INTL	Total
1	Goalkeeper	Guzan, BradBrad Guzan	United States	2017–	199	18	4	13	234
2	Defender	Lennon, BrooksBrooks Lennon	United States	2020–	146	6	8	7	167
3	Forward	Martínez, JosefJosef Martínez	Venezuela	2017–2022	134	10	3	11	158
4	Defender	Robinson, MilesMiles Robinson	United States	2017–2023	123	6	9	12	150
5	Midfielder	Larentowicz, JeffJeff Larentowicz	United States	2017–2020	113	8	3	8	132
6	Midfielder	Gressel, JulianJulian Gressel	United States	2017–2019	98	9	7	4	118
7	Defender	González Pírez, LeandroLeandro González Pírez	Argentina	2017–2019	95	9	7	4	115
8	Midfielder	Barco, EsequielEsequiel Barco	Argentina	2018–2023	81	9	5	12	107
9	Defender	Parkhurst, MichaelMichael Parkhurst	United States	2017–2019	86	8	2	4	100
10	Midfielder	Rossetto, MatheusMatheus Rossetto	Brazil	2020–2023	90	3	1	4	98

Top Goal Scorers

This table shows the players who have scored the most goals for Atlanta United.

#	Pos.	Name	Nation	Career	MLS	Playoffs	USOC	INTL	Total
1	Forward	Martínez, JosefJosef Martínez	Venezuela	2017–2022	98	5	2	6	111
2	Midfielder	Almada, ThiagoThiago Almada	Argentina	2022–2024	23	1	1	1	26
3	Forward	Giakoumakis, GiorgosGiorgos Giakoumakis	Greece	2023–2024	22	2	0	0	24
4	Midfielder	Almirón, MiguelMiguel Almirón	Paraguay	2017–2018, 2025–	21	1	0	0	22
	Forward	Villalba, HéctorHéctor Villalba	Paraguay	2017–2019	21	1	0	0	22
6	Midfielder	Gressel, JulianJulian Gressel	United States	2017–2019	15	2	1	2	20
7	Midfielder	Barco, EsequielEsequiel Barco	Argentina	2018–2023	17	0	1	1	19
8	Midfielder	Moreno, MarcelinoMarcelino Moreno	Argentina	2020–2023	13	0	1	0	14
9	Midfielder	Araújo, LuizLuiz Araújo	Brazil	2021–2023	11	0	2	0	13
	Midfielder	Lobzhanidze, SabaSaba Lobzhanidze	Georgia	2023–	12	0	0	1	13
10	Midfielder	Martínez, PityPity Martínez	Argentina	2019–2020	7	0	2	2	11

See also

In Spanish: Atlanta United Football Club para niños