Author | Daniel Wright |
The Beginning
On April 16, 2014, Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS), announced a project: a new soccer team that would be owned by Arthur Blank and would play at the same stadium as the Atlanta Falcons. “We are thrilled to welcome Atlanta to Major League Soccer as our 22nd team. Atlanta is one of the largest and most diverse markets in North America and has a rich tradition in sports and culture,” stated Garber.
Arthur Blank, owner of the expansion team, also expressed his enthusiasm with this statement: “We are very excited to bring a Major League Soccer team to Atlanta. We are going to build a first-class organization on and off the field that will be a source of pride for the entire community, and we believe our downtown stadium will become a destination for soccer fans throughout the Southeast for many years to come.”
Georgia’s governor, Nathan Deal, noted how emotional and vocal Georgians are when it comes to sports, saying, “Georgia is home to some of the most passionate sports fans in the country, and no sport has grown in popularity during the last two decades as much as soccer. I expect game days for our new team in Atlanta to be colorful and festive events, with people from all over the state making the trip to the state capital to support the team.” On July 7, 2015, the name Atlanta United FC was announced for the team, and Gerardo “Tata” Martino was named head coach of Atlanta United on September 27, 2016. The team would start their matches at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium and then move to Mercedes-Benz stadium when it was completed in the late summer.
The Inaugural Season
So far, Atlanta United has had a great inaugural season. With a record of 15-7-8 (15 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses), Atlanta has set records for greatest number of season tickets sold (30,000+), highest average and total attendance in MLS (47,239 average, 661,339 total), and lowest temperature at kickoff (19 degrees Fahrenheit). Their highest attendance was against Orlando City SC at 70,425, an MLS record, while their lowest attendance was against the New England Revolution at 42,511. They also tied the MLS record for most goals scored in a game, with 7 goals.
With only three games left in the season, Atlanta United has already clinched a spot in the playoffs. They are only the fourth MLS expansion team to accomplish that in their first season. On October 3, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., Atlanta United will kickoff against Minnesota United, another team in their first season. The last time these two teams played, the Five Stripes dominated against the Loons with a final score of 6-1. Twelve days after that, Atlanta United will play the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, New Jersey. To end the season, our hometown heroes will come back to face Toronto FC, the best team in MLS. Finally, Atlanta will most likely stay at home to play the New York Red Bulls in the first round of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs on October 25 or 26. With Atlanta in the playoffs, every MLS fan in America will have their eyes on the Five Stripes to see what the newbies can accomplish.
