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Atlanta United president and chief executive officer Garth Lagerway has assembled one of the best starting lineups in Major League Soccer in just one calendar year.
Atlanta’s first years in MLS saw them lift three trophies since their inaugural 2017 season, but the team has strayed from winning ways recently having last won a trophy in 2019. The Five Stripes have a huge fan base, one that craves winning – so when they moved to hire Lagerway in late 2022, it was a sign that the club was moving in the right direction.
Lagerway has brought stability to the front office in Atlanta during transfer windows and has helped them adopt a different approach to purchasing players, where buying low and selling high doesn’t always have to be a priority.
So, how has Lagerway engineered three successful off-seasons after taking over in November 2022?
The term ‘deadwood’ is a bit harsh, as these are professional players we’re talking about here. But then again, there comes a time clubs have to move on from players that either aren’t at the required level anymore or simply don’t fit the coach’s system.
The likes of Marcelino Moreno, Luiz Araujo and club legend Josef Martinez all had their moments of brilliance, with some contributing more than others. But the point is that these players, along with some less-talented players here and there, were taking up huge chunks of Atlanta’s payroll and weren’t contributing enough anymore – which isn’t exactly a recipe for championships when you play in a salary-capped league like MLS.
Lagerway came in and moved these players on. Atlanta chose to let Martinez walk for free before he joined Inter Miami and facilitated Marcelino Moreno’s move to Coritiba. He also negotiated Araujo’s transfer to Brazilian side Flamengo where the Five Stripes recouped just over $9m after purchasing the player from French side Lille for roughly $10m two years prior.
For clubs, sometimes the hardest thing to do is ripping the bandaid off (in Martinez’s case and potentially Brad Guzan’s case in the near future) or taking a loss on a player that they shelled out big money for. But Lagerway has proven to be just as calculated with outgoings as he is with inbound transfers.
After establishing themselves as major players in the league by winning 2018 MLS Cup, 2019 US Open Cup and 2021 Campeones Cup, Atlanta decided they were going to go bigger by spending even more on South American wonderkids in hopes of raking in another record-setting transfer fee, like the one they received for Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron.
It’s safe to say that outside of Almiron, Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martinez and probably Thiago Almada in the future, the Five Stripes haven’t really done well on their return-on-investments of players they paid the big bucks for.
For context, Atlanta bought Almiron for roughly $8.1m before selling him to Newcastle for $26m. Atlanta signed Pity Martinez from River Plate for about $15.7m before Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr purchased him for $17.4m. The Five Stripes bought Almada for $16m, and he’s destined for Europe in the future which will bring Atlanta a nice profit, too.
But they always haven’t been able to yearn a profit, which was seen in Barco’s (bought for $13.3m, $4.3m loan fee) and Moreno’s (bought for $6.8m, sold for $1.6m) cases as well as the previously mentioned Araujo.
With Lagerway at the helm, Atlanta has adopted a much more effective transfer policy that allows them to wrap deals up and bring in more players in total to help the cause of winning a second MLS Cup. Instead of splashing out tens of millions of dollars on one player, the club has steered toward spending a few million on several players instead of going all-in on a player they will more than likely sell down the road.
While Atlanta will still probably have an eye on the South American market, Lagerway’s signings have shown that there is still so much talent across the world. It’s definitely possible to do what Atlanta has done in the past and win titles while doing so, but it’s not as sustainable as signing players that aren’t on the cusp of making a move to Europe, as buying-then-selling within a couple years’ time can bring all kinds of disruptions to teams trying to win consistently.
And for anyone doubting his methods, it’s hard to discredit an executive that has overseen 14 straight playoff appearances from 2008-2021 with Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders, and that’s not even taking into account the silverware that was lifted along the way.
Starting in February 2023, Atlanta set out to bring in experienced European players that weren’t exactly hogging the spotlight in any of Europe’s top five leagues. Atlanta signed the likes of Luis Abram and Giorgos Giakoumakis from Granada and Celtic, respectively, and the two enjoyed solid first seasons in the league.
Abram did well to adjust to his first season in MLS in an Atlanta defense that conceded so many goals alongside a Miles Robinson that kind of looked like he didn’t want to be there, while Giakoumakis notched 17 goals in the regular season and took home the Newcomer of the Year Award of Lionel Messi.
Fast forward to the summer transfer window, where Lagerway and co. really started cooking. The Five Stripes brought in four players from Europe – winger Saba Lobjanidze from the Turkish Super League, midfielder Tristan Muyumba from EA Guingamp in the French Ligue 2, striker Jamal Thiare from Le Havre in Ligue 1 and winger Xande Silva from Dijon FCO in the French third tier.
It’s safe to say that three out of the four additions have been a success, as we don’t really know what Thiare can bring as he only made cameos off the bench behind the Greece international Giakoumakis, playing just 82 minutes in 2023.
In regular season action, Silva registered four goals and two assists in 13 appearances (11 starts), Lobjanidze tallied three goals and four assists in 12 appearances (eight starts — 856 minutes) and Muyumba provided Atlanta with the spark they were missing in the middle of the park.
He too couldn’t stay off the scoresheet, though, adding a goal against Inter Miami in September in Atlanta’s 5-2 triumph against the Lionel Messi-less Herons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Now, fast forward to the winter 2024 window, when Lagerway appears to have the Atlanta squad looking like a top five team with pre-season preparations underway. Like he did in winter 2023 and summer 2024, Lagerway has continued to ‘cook’ in the current transfer window, bringing in players early to avoid visa issues; something which is music to Atlanta fans’ ears.
Atlanta’s first order of business in terms of inbound transfers this winter was making Silva’s loan move permanent, which was a no-brainer. He’ll more than likely be the starter on the left wing to begin the season.
The Five Stripes then moved swiftly to acquire the signature of free agent goalkeeper Josh Cohen, as the 31-year-old brings plenty of experience in the USL as well as the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Haifa. Cohen also has experience in the UEFA Champions and Europa League and is expected to compete for the starting job with club legend Brad Guzan.
Longtime MLS midfielder Dax McCarty oped to sign with Atlanta to provide depth at the defensive midfield position, as he more than likely won’t start too many games with the options for head coach Gonzalo Pineda in the middle of the park.
Lagerway then moved to bring in Norway international Stian Gregersen from French side Bordeaux for $2m following Miles Robinson’s decision to sign with FC Cincinnati as a free agent. Gregersen looks to be a solid defender to pair alongside Luis Abram to fit straight into Pineda’s system.
But wait, there’s more. To bring added depth to the backline, Atlanta signed ex-DC United and Blackburn Rovers center-back Derrick Williams after selecting him in the 2023 MLS Re-Entry Draft back in December.
Atlanta were able to select Williams after trading Homegrown prospect Garrison Tubbs to DC United, as they used the General Allocation Money (GAM) from the deal to acquire a draft pick from Toronto FC.
Atlanta are set to announce another signing in the coming days, too. Poland international Bartosz Slisz is expected to sign for Atlanta as the Five Stripes are sending roughly $3.5m to Legia Warsaw to complete the deal, according to Tom Bogert.
It won’t be too long before Slisz becomes a starter in the midfield next to Muyumba, as the expected signing will really raise the level of the team with midfielder Franco Ibarra set to return for next season after his loan spell with Rosario Central.
To really have depth at each position for the 2024 campaign, Atlanta would need to bring in one more player – more specifically a full-back that could play either on the right or on the left.
With all the signings Atlanta have completed thus far, here’s how they could lineup in late February against MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew ( 4-2-3-1 ): Cohen; Lennon, Gregersen, Abram, Wiley; Muyumba, McCarty; Lobjanidze, Almada, Silva; Giakoumakis. On paper, that’s definitely one of the top XI’s in MLS.
