Atlanta United FC

• 1. The Expansion Bid And Stadium Deal

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  On the 31st of May 2011, the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers were sold to True North Sports & Entertainment. This sale triggered a chain of events that revitalized interest in bringing professional soccer back to the city. Arthur Blank had submitted an expansion bid for Major League Soccer in 2008 but withdrew it early the following year due to budget shortfalls and a lack of partners to build a stadium. The departure of the hockey team cleared the path for new discussions about Atlanta as a viable market.

  MLS commissioner Don Garber cited Atlanta as one of three intriguing markets for future league expansion in May 2012. Blank presented his case for a new stadium at the Falcons' annual meeting with season ticket holders. He stated that an additional benefit of the new stadium was that it could help attract a Major League Soccer franchise. Later that year, Garber said if the Falcons could complete plans for a new stadium, MLS would try to figure out how an MLS team could be part of their plans.

  In March 2013, the city and the Falcons agreed to financing terms. By May 2013, the Georgia Department of Economic Development board approved $30 million in bonds to finance the land purchase for the new stadium. The stadium was set to open in 2017 and could be configured for professional soccer. On the 16th of April 2014, Blank announced that MLS had awarded an expansion franchise to his group. The team would begin play in 2017.

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• 2. Record Crowds And The First Trophy

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  Atlanta's first regular season MLS game took place on the 5th of March 2017, at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The match drew 55,297 spectators who watched Yamil Asad score the first goal in team history during a 2, 1 loss to New York Red Bulls. A week later, the team registered its first win with a 6, 1 away defeat of fellow expansion team Minnesota United FC. The club continued leading the league in attendance after moving to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

  The team averaged more than 48,000 fans in its home league matches during the inaugural season. This broke records for attendance for a non-doubleheader MLS game and average single-season attendance for a U.S. soccer team. Atlanta clinched a berth in the playoffs by finishing tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. In its first playoff game, the team faced Columbus Crew and set a then-MLS attendance record for a playoff game with 67,221 spectators.

  In their second season, Atlanta finished second in the Eastern Conference as well as the Supporters' Shield. The club qualified for the playoffs for the second year in a row, advancing to MLS Cup 2018 after beating New York City FC and New York Red Bulls. On December 8, the team beat Portland Timbers to bring the city its first major sports championship since MLB's Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series. Josef Martínez was named league MVP while Martino was named Coach of the Year.

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• 3. Coaching Instability And Roster Overhauls

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  Gerardo Martino left the club following their MLS Cup triumph in order to take over as manager of the Mexico national team. He was replaced by Frank de Boer who led the club to wins in both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup. De Boer and Atlanta United mutually agreed to end his relationship with the club after the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando. Stephen Glass served as interim head coach before Gabriel Heinze signed a two-year contract at the end of 2020.

  Heinze was fired on the 18th of July 2021, after the team hit a club-record eight-game winless streak. Rob Valentino remained with the club as an assistant coach until Gonzalo Pineda was named the fourth permanent head coach on August 12. Pineda was fired on the 3rd of June 2024, after the team lost a club-record five consecutive home matches. Ronny Deila took over but was sacked by the club at the end of the 2025 season when Atlanta finished 14th in the Eastern Conference.

  Tata Martino returned to Atlanta United as head coach on the 6th of November 2025, signing a two-year contract through 2027. The club let go of players such as Brooks Lennon, Bartosz Slisz, and Noah Cobb following Martino's arrival. They supplemented these losses with new players such as Tomás Jacob and Lucas Hoyos. On the 4th of February 2025, Atlanta announced the signing of Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough for a reported $22 million.

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• 4. The Five Stripes And Golden Spike

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  Arthur Blank stated that fans would be involved in choosing the name, logo and color scheme that worked with red and black and gold. The official announcement of the team's name took place on the 7th of July 2015. The logo features a circle reminiscent of the city's seal and Olympic heritage with a bold A at the center. Behind the A are five black and red stripes representing unity, determination, community, excellence, and innovation.

  During their inaugural season, Atlanta United introduced a ritual called the Golden Spike. Prior to the game, players and supporters sign a large golden railroad spike which is then marched into the stadium by supporters. Local celebrities that took part included hip hop artists 2 Chainz, Yung Joc, and Waka Flocka. Owner Arthur Blank hammered the Spike at MLS Cup 2018.

  In February 2019, the club unveiled a new primary kit nicknamed Star and Stripes created by Adidas. Changes included a move from five thick stripes to nine thinner stripes on the front. In February 2021, Atlanta announced a new primary kit named BLVCK which was United's first all-black kit. The number 17 was reserved for fans on the 10th of February 2017 to mark the year of the team's inaugural season.

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• 5. Financial Value And Ownership Structure

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  On the 3rd of June 2024, Atlanta sold Thiago Almada for a reported fee of $22 million plus $3 million in add-ons. This transaction broke the transfer record for the MLS. They also sold Giorgos Giakoumakis and Caleb Wiley which resulted in Atlanta United having over $50 million to spend in the summer transfer window. On the 4th of February 2025, Emmanuel Latte Lath became the most expensive signing in league history with a contract through 2028.

  Forbes estimated the club was worth approximately $900 million in 2024 making it the fourth most valuable in the league. Arthur Blank serves as principal owner and co-founder of Home Depot. The club is a component of AMB Sports & Entertainment which includes the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Since 2022, Garth Lagerwey has served as president and CEO of Atlanta United FC.

  The club operates Atlanta United 2 as a reserve team that competes in MLS Next Pro. Club president Darren Eales said the new team was launched to bridge the gap between their academy and first team. The facility opened on the 11th of April 2017, named the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground.

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• 6. Supporter Groups And Attendance Dominance

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  Terminus Legion was created in March 2011 by graphic designer Matt Stigall who wanted to show that Atlanta fans would support soccer despite the perception of the city as lazy. By December 2015, supporters had pledged to purchase more than 29,000 season tickets. As of December 2017, the team had more than 36,000 season ticket holders. All Stripes became an official LGBTQ+ supporter group in 2022 while La 12 de Atlanta celebrated Latino culture and influence on soccer.

  On the 12th of September 2017, Atlanta announced they sold more than 69,256 tickets for the match against Orlando City SC. The game's official attendance was 70,425 making Atlanta the first MLS team to surpass 70,000 in attendance for a non-doubleheader match. On the 5th of October 2017, the team broke both the record for highest average attendance in a season for MLS and professional soccer in the United States.

  Atlanta finished the 2018 season with an average attendance of 53,002 which was higher than multiple major clubs such as English sides Everton and Chelsea. On the 8th of December 2018, Atlanta won its first MLS Cup before a crowd of 73,019. This remains the largest non-doubleheader crowd in league history.

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