Atlanta United
Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, founded in 2014 and beginning play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2017 as the twenty-second team in the league. The club competes in the Eastern Conference and plays home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which they share with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup (2018), one U.S. Open Cup (2019), and one Eastern Conference championship, along with one Campeones Cup (2019). The club is operated by Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons and co-founder of the Home Depot, and has set several league records for attendance while being valued at approximately $900 million as of 2024.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Atlanta United FC was founded in 2014 as an MLS expansion franchise, becoming the first MLS team to be based in Atlanta. The club is operated by Arthur Blank's AMB Sports and Entertainment Group and also owns Atlanta United 2, a reserve team that competes in MLS Next Pro. At the time the team was announced, Atlanta was the largest metropolitan area without an MLS franchise.
Most recent season and achievements
In the 2024 season, Atlanta United finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, qualifying for the wild card round of the MLS Cup playoffs. After defeating CF Montréal in the wild card round, they upset Supporters' Shield winners Inter Miami in round one before being eliminated by rivals Orlando City in the following round. The club made significant player sales during the summer transfer window, including Thiago Almada for a reported $22 million plus $3 million in add-ons, breaking the MLS transfer record.
History
Early years
Arthur Blank's AMB Sports and Entertainment Group initially submitted a bid for an MLS expansion franchise in 2008 but withdrew it in early 2009 due to budget shortfalls and stadium concerns. The relocation of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg in 2011 helped restart efforts to bring an MLS team to Atlanta. As the Atlanta Falcons' new stadium went through the approval process, MLS commissioner Don Garber cited Atlanta as one of three "intriguing" markets for future expansion. On April 16, 2014, Blank announced that MLS had awarded an expansion franchise to his group, with the team set to begin play in 2017.
Successful period
Gerardo Martino was appointed as the club's first head coach and guided Atlanta to their first playoff appearance in their debut 2017 season. Atlanta's first regular season MLS game was played on March 5, 2017, at Bobby Dodd Stadium with 55,297 in attendance, with Yamil Asad scoring the first goal in team history in a 2–1 loss to New York Red Bulls. The team set multiple attendance records and clinched a playoff berth, becoming the third MLS expansion team to do so in their inaugural season. In their second season, Atlanta won MLS Cup 2018, defeating Portland Timbers in the final and bringing the city its first major sports championship since the Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series. Josef Martínez was named league MVP, while Martino was named Coach of the Year.
Crisis and recovery
Following Martino's departure to manage the Mexico national team, Frank de Boer took over as head coach. While he led the club to wins in both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019, the team struggled during the 2020 season. After losing all three matches in the MLS is Back Tournament, de Boer and Atlanta United mutually agreed to end his relationship with the club. Gabriel Heinze was hired as the next head coach but was fired in July 2021 after the team hit a club-record eight-game winless streak. Gonzalo Pineda was then named as the fourth permanent head coach, leading the team through several seasons before being fired in June 2024 after losing a club-record five consecutive home matches.
Current period
Rob Valentino currently serves as interim head coach following Pineda's dismissal. The club has undergone significant roster changes, selling key players like Thiago Almada, Giorgos Giakoumakis, and Caleb Wiley, which provided over $50 million to spend in the summer transfer window. In February 2025, Atlanta United announced the signing of Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough for a reported $22 million, making him the most expensive signing in league history.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Atlanta United has achieved significant success in domestic competitions. The club won the MLS Cup in 2018, defeating Portland Timbers in the final. They also captured the U.S. Open Cup in 2019 and won the Eastern Conference championship in 2018, which qualified them for their first continental competition.
Continental and global competitions
In continental competition, Atlanta United won the Campeones Cup in 2019, defeating Club América 3–2 and becoming the first club from the United States to defeat a Mexican side in the cup match. The club also qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League following their MLS Cup victory.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The team's name, logo and colors were unveiled on July 7, 2015. The logo features a circle reminiscent of the city's seal and Olympic heritage with a bold "A" at the center of the circle. Behind the "A" are five black and red stripes representing the five pillars of the team: unity, determination, community, excellence, and innovation. The team has become unofficially known as "The Five Stripes", which correlates to the five stripes on the team's inaugural home kits.
Traditional home and away kits colors
The team's official colors are black (for strength and power), red (or "Victory Red," as the team calls it, for pride and passion), and gold (for a commitment to excellence). In February 2019, following the club's first MLS championship, Atlanta unveiled a new primary kit nicknamed "Star and Stripes" created by Adidas, featuring nine thinner stripes instead of five thick stripes, red socks instead of black, and a gold star above the team crest. In February 2021, Atlanta United announced the "BLVCK" kit, the club's first all-black kit.
Traditional Rivals
Orlando City SC
Orlando City SC serves as Atlanta United's primary rival, with both teams being awarded MLS expansion franchises in the Southeastern United States within five months of each other in 2013-2014. The rivalry has been intensified through playoff encounters, including Orlando City eliminating Atlanta United in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
American Family Insurance serves as the primary jersey sponsor for the first team, announced in July 2016. Truist is the official kit sponsor at the youth academy level. Piedmont Healthcare became the first team's sleeve sponsor and main sponsor for the reserve team in 2020, while AT&T became the new sleeve sponsor in March 2021. Additional sponsors include Truist Financial and NAPA as short and sleeve sponsors.
Nicknames
The team is unofficially known as "The Five Stripes" due to the five stripes on their inaugural home kits. Supporters are often referred to as the "17s," a reference to the inaugural year of the club, with supporter jerseys displaying the number 17.
Ownership and finances
Atlanta United FC's principal owner is Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot. The club is a component of AMB Sports & Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Blank Family of Businesses that also includes the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Since 2022, the president and CEO has been Garth Lagerwey, who previously served as general manager of Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC. In 2024, Forbes estimated the club was the fourth most valuable in the league, worth approximately $900 million.
Traditions and culture
During their inaugural season, Atlanta United introduced the Golden Spike ritual in a nod to the city's railroad history. Prior to games, players and supporters sign a large golden railroad spike, which is marched into the stadium and hammered into a platform by a local VIP while the crowd chants "A-T-L!" After each Atlanta United win, the player voted as Man of the Match hammers a spike. Notable celebrities who have participated include hip hop artists 2 Chainz, Yung Joc, and Waka Flocka, as well as retired Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones and wrestling legend Ric Flair.
Stadium
The club plays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which they share with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. For most games, the stadium holds 42,500 people with curtains typically used to create a more intimate atmosphere. When expanded to full capacity, the stadium can hold 71,000 people, with standing room for at least 73,019 people. The stands are retractable to accommodate a larger field and provide better sight lines. The team initially played at Bobby Dodd Stadium during the first half of the 2017 season due to construction delays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The club's training facility, the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, is a $60 million facility in Marietta that includes six outdoor training fields and a 30,000 square foot building serving as the sporting headquarters.