Joseph Lowery
Where we left off last year
2024 season: 40 points, 9th in the Eastern Conference, 20th in MLS
Atlanta United’s 2024 ended with a surprise playoff run past Inter Miami and into the conference semis, but their season as a whole was far from successful.
The Five Stripes won just three of their first 14 regular season games, fired their coach in June, and sold a pair of stars in the summer transfer window. Technical director Carlos Bocanegra was fired in September, too, leaving plenty of room for club president Garth Lagerwey to shape Atlanta United in his image. Even with the most memorable playoff upset in league history next to their name, ambitions are far higher than 40-point seasons in Atlanta.
Brad Guzan getting stuck in the net sure was an all-timer of a moment, though. More of this chaotic energy in 2025, please:
Why they throwing Brad Guzan into the net like that 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/McVMi76TvZ
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) November 10, 2024
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals:
- Chris Henderson, sporting director: Hired in December, Henderson arrived from Inter Miami, replacing Bocanegra and reuniting with Lagerwey from their time with the Seattle Sounders. Few chief soccer officers are as widely respected in MLS as Henderson, who helped build multiple MLS Cup-winning teams in Seattle and helped add key depth and cap room to Miami’s star-studded roster.
