Atlanta United FC

• 1. Introduction

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  Atlanta United FC drew 73,019 people to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for its first MLS Cup final in December 2018, the largest non-doubleheader crowd in league history. That number alone tells you something unusual is happening in Atlanta. A city that had never hosted a Major League Soccer franchise suddenly produced an expansion team that broke attendance records before it had played a single playoff game. How did a club that did not exist until 2014 and did not play a match until 2017 become the fourth most valuable franchise in the league, worth approximately one billion dollars? And what does it mean that after a prolonged decline, the coach who built the whole thing came back to start over?

• 2. The Long Road to Expansion

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  Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, first submitted a bid for an MLS expansion franchise in 2008. He pulled it back in early 2009 when state and local budget shortfalls left him without partners to build a suitable stadium. For several years, the idea sat in suspension while league officials kept the conversation alive. On the 10th of July 2010, the MLS executive vice president of communications confirmed that regular talks with Blank were ongoing even after the withdrawal.

  Atlanta at that point was the largest metropolitan area in the country without an MLS team. That fact gave the city a particular kind of leverage in expansion negotiations. In May 2012, MLS commissioner Don Garber named Atlanta one of three markets he described as intriguing for future expansion.

  The stadium question was the practical obstacle. The Falcons were seeking public financing for a new facility, and Blank argued openly that a new stadium could attract a soccer franchise and potentially host World Cup matches. In May 2013, the Georgia Department of Economic Development board approved $30 million in bonds to finance the land purchase for that stadium. Blank got his financing terms from the city in March of the same year.

  Also pushing the timeline forward was an unrelated hockey event. On the 31st of May 2011, the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers were sold to True North Sports and Entertainment and relocated to Winnipeg as the Jets. The departure of that franchise created fresh urgency around bringing a new major league sport to the city, and MLS moved its Atlanta discussions closer to a resolution.

  On the 16th of April 2014, Blank formally announced that MLS had awarded him an expansion franchise, with play scheduled to begin in 2017. Atlanta became the second franchise awarded in the southeastern United States in five months, following Orlando City.

• 3. A City Hungry for Soccer

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  By December 2015, fans had already pledged to purchase more than 29,000 season tickets for a team that had no roster, no coach, and no stadium of its own. That level of pre-launch demand was not random. Dan Courtemanche, the MLS communications executive who had stayed in contact with Blank throughout the dormant years, specifically cited Atlanta's growing Hispanic population and its concentration of major corporations as reasons to believe the market was ready.

  The supporter infrastructure was already in place before the club played a match. Terminus Legion, a supporter group created in March 2011, predated the franchise award by three years. Its founder, graphic designer Matt Stigall, chose the name after the original name given to Atlanta when it was first settled. The group's logo featuring a cow catcher and railroad ties reflects the city's history as a locomotive hub. Stigall said the group was formed to push back against the perception of Atlanta as a lazy sports town.

  Footie Mob, founded in 2014, named itself as a play on Atlanta hip-hop group Goodie Mob. The group built its identity around pre-game tailgating and weaving Atlanta's music culture into supporter rituals. By December 2017, the club had more than 36,000 season ticket holders. In 2018, Bleacher Report named Atlanta the Black Soccer Capital of America, pointing to the visible presence of African-Americans among the club's fanbase.

  The club reserved the number 17 for fans on the 10th of February 2017, marking the inaugural year. Supporters are collectively known as the 17s, and supporter jerseys display that number on the back.

• 4. Tata Martino and the Championship Years

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  Gerardo Martino, known as Tata, was appointed the club's first permanent head coach on the 27th of September 2016. He guided Atlanta to a playoff berth in their debut MLS season in 2017, making them only the third expansion team in league history to reach the postseason in year one. In that first playoff game against Columbus Crew, the team drew 67,221 spectators, setting what was at that point a league record for a playoff match. Columbus eliminated Atlanta in a penalty shootout after 120 scoreless minutes.

  The 2018 season brought a sharper team. Atlanta finished second in the Eastern Conference and advanced through New York City FC and New York Red Bulls to reach the MLS Cup final. On the 8th of December 2018, they beat the Portland Timbers to win the club's first championship, delivering Atlanta its first major sports title since the MLB's Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series. Josef Martínez was named league MVP. Martino took Coach of the Year.

  Martino had already announced before the season ended that he would not return for 2019. He left to manage the Mexico national team, closing a two-year tenure that produced the only MLS Cup the club has won. His departure opened a managerial succession that would take years to stabilize.

  Atlanta's attendance record during those first two seasons was startling. On the 30th of June 2018, the club drew 71,932 fans, more than any other soccer match happening in the world that day, including games from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. By the end of 2018, Atlanta became the first MLS team to average more than 50,000 fans across a regular season, finishing with an average of 53,002.

• 5. The De Boer Years and Decline

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  Frank de Boer replaced Martino in December 2018. His first season brought an immediate trophy: in the second edition of the Campeones Cup, Atlanta defeated Club América 3-2, making the club the first from the United States to beat a Mexican side in that competition. De Boer also won the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. But playoff progress stalled; the club was eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by Toronto FC.

  The 2020 season collapsed under two separate pressures. The COVID-19 pandemic halted play after just two matches. When competition resumed through the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Atlanta lost all three of their group-stage games. De Boer and the club parted ways by mutual agreement. Stephen Glass, an assistant, took over on an interim basis.

  Gabriel Heinze, a former Argentina international defender, signed a two-year contract to become head coach at the end of 2020. His tenure ended on the 18th of July 2021, when the club fired him after a club-record eight-game winless streak. Gonzalo Pineda, a former Mexican international who had been an assistant at Seattle Sounders FC, became the fourth permanent head coach in club history on the 12th of August 2021.

  Pineda's stint ended on the 3rd of June 2024, after the team lost a club-record five consecutive home matches. During the subsequent summer transfer window, Atlanta sold midfielder Thiago Almada for a reported $22 million plus $3 million in add-ons, breaking the MLS transfer record. They also sold Giorgos Giakoumakis and Caleb Wiley, leaving the club with over $50 million to spend. Ronny Deila replaced Pineda but lasted only one season, dismissed after Atlanta finished 14th in the Eastern Conference in 2025, the club's worst finish ever.

• 6. The Stadium and Its Records

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  Atlanta United's home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is shared with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The stadium's design includes a retractable eight-panel roof that caused construction delays, pushing the team's first match there to the 10th of September 2017 against FC Dallas. For its first half-season, the club played at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, where 55,297 people attended the very first MLS regular season game on the 5th of March 2017.

  For most matches, the club curtains off the upper level to create a more intimate atmosphere, reducing capacity to approximately 42,500. When expanded to full capacity, the stadium holds 71,000, with standing room for at least 73,019, the number recorded at MLS Cup 2018. Owner Arthur Blank pledged early on that no MLS game in Atlanta would display NFL field markings.

  The attendance records came quickly and kept coming. On the 16th of September 2017, the club sold 70,425 tickets for a match against Orlando City SC, becoming the first MLS team to surpass 70,000 for a non-doubleheader. On the 22nd of October 2017, the official attendance of 71,874 for a match against Toronto FC broke that record again. On the 11th of March 2018, the club sold 72,035 tickets for the home opener against D.C. United. On the 15th of July 2018, the record reached 72,243. By the time MLS Cup 2018 came around, 73,019 people were inside.

  The training complex opened on the 11th of April 2017. Built on a 33-acre site on Franklin Gateway in Marietta at a cost of $60 million, the facility is named the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. It includes a 30,000 square foot building, six outdoor fields, and a showcase field with seating for 2,500.

• 7. Identity, Culture, and the Golden Spike

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  The team's colors and badge were unveiled on the 7th of July 2015. The logo centers on a bold letter A inside a circle, a design echoing Atlanta's civic seal and its history as an Olympic host city. Five black and red stripes run behind the A, each stripe representing one of the club's five pillars: unity, determination, community, excellence, and innovation. The official colors are black, described by the club as representing strength and power; red, which the club calls Victory Red; and gold, for a commitment to excellence. The nickname Five Stripes follows from those stripes on the inaugural home kit.

  Atlanta United introduced a matchday ritual called the Golden Spike during their inaugural season. Before each game, players and supporters sign a large golden railroad spike. A local VIP then marches it into the stadium and hammers it into a platform while the crowd chants. After each win, the player voted Man of the Match performs a hammer strike. The ritual connects to the city's identity as a railroad hub.

  Celebrity participants during 2017 included hip-hop artists 2 Chainz, Yung Joc, and Waka Flocka, country musician Zac Brown, retired Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones, and basketball players Tiffany Hayes and Dennis Schröder. Atlanta native rapper Archie Eversole took part and later composed a rap anthem for the club called United We Conquer. In 2018, participants included singer T-Pain, Dutch soccer player Edgar Davids, boxing champion Evander Holyfield, his son Elijah Holyfield, and rappers Jeezy, Killer Mike, and Big Boi. At MLS Cup 2018, Blank himself hammered the spike.

  The club's youth academy, which began play in the 2016-2017 season, charges no participation fees. It fields seven age groups from U-12 through U-19, and graduates are eligible to join the first team as Homegrown Players. Since launch, six academy players have signed first-team contracts.

• 8. Return and Rebuild

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  On the 6th of November 2025, Tata Martino returned to Atlanta United, signing a two-year contract through 2027. His arrival came after the club's worst season in its history and amid the resignation of CEO Garth Lagerwey due to declining health. The club moved quickly in the subsequent transfer window, releasing Brooks Lennon, Bartosz Slisz, and Noah Cobb while signing Tomás Jacob and Lucas Hoyos as replacements.

  Martino's first stint ended with a championship and a league MVP award for Josef Martínez, who accumulated 111 goals across all competitions in his time at the club, the highest total in team history. The club that Martino returns to is shaped differently: Brad Guzan, the longest-serving captain and the club's all-time appearances leader, retired at the end of 2025, and Emmanuel Latte Lath, signed from Middlesbrough in February 2025 for a reported $22 million, occupies a designated player spot heading into the new era. That signing price matched the Almada transfer record and made Latte Lath the most expensive signing in league history at the time.