Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United FCFirst Season
2017President
Darren EalesHead Coach
Frank de BoerOwner
Arthur BlankStadium
Mercedes-Benz StadiumConference
MLS Eastern ConferencePlaying their debut MLS season in 2017, Atlanta United FC is one of the newer expansion teams playing in the Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Atlanta United’s home grounds is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is shared with the city’s NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons, whereas both franchises are owned by Arthur Blank, founder of Home Depot.
Atlanta United’s supporter groups include the Terminus Legion, Resurgence, Footie Mob and the Faction. The team’s popularity amongst African American fans in Atlanta also gave Atlanta the nickname “black soccer capital of America.”
Honoring the city’s railroad history, a large golden railroad spike is signed by the players prior to the game. The spike is then marched into the stadium and hammered into a platform by a local dignitary. Although Atlanta United FC’s players sport varying jersey numbers, there is one number that will never be seen on the field. On February 10th 2017, it was announced that the number 17, marking the team’s debut MLS season, was to be reserved as an act of gratitude to the fans.
On April 16th 2014, it was revealed that the city of Atlanta had been awarded an MLS expansion franchise, to begin playing in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference in 2017.
Atlanta FC’s first MLS game was played against the New York Red Bulls on March 5th 2017, and eventually ended in a 2-1 loss, with Yamil Asad scoring the first goal in Atlanta United FC’s history. The team’s first win came against Minnesota United FC later on in March 2017, taking a 6-1 away victory at Minnesota’s stadium.
The club finished tied 3rd in the Eastern conference at the end of their first season, and went on to face Columbus Crew in their first playoff game. After the score remaining at 0-0 through 120 minutes of play, they were eventually defeated 3-1 in a penalty shootout and eliminated.
In the 2018 season, Atlanta advanced to the MLS Cup finals, after finishing 2nd in the Eastern Conference. On December 8th 2018, Atlanta defeated Portland Timbers in the finals, bringing the club its first MLS Cup title in its second season in the league.
Season Records
| Year | MLS Regular Season | Ranking | MLS Cup Playoffs | US Open Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | PTS | W | GP | GP | GP | GP | Conf | League | |||
| 2019 | 34 | 58 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 58 | 43 | 2nd | 3rd | Conference Finals | Champions |
Honors
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| MLS Cup | 1 | 2018 |
| Eastern Conference | 1 | 2018 |
| US Open Cup | 1 | 2019 |
Atlanta United FC play at Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The stadium is shared with the city’s NFL franchise, the Atlanta Falcons. In the past, owner Arthur Blank promised that “There will never be an MLS game in Atlanta where NFL lines are shown on the field," in dismay of top-flight soccer teams playing in NFL stadiums that are not fit for soccer.
The Mercedes-Benz stadium hosts around 42,000-43,000 fans for most of Atlanta United FC’s games, but the stadium can hold over 71,000 fans at full capacity.
In its 2017 season, Atlanta led the MLS in attendance numbers, with an average home attendance of over 48,000 fans. The team broke multiple attendance records, including average single-season attendance (53,000) and attendance for an MLS playoff game (72,548).
Home Kit
The team’s logo and kit, alongside its name, were announced on July 7th 2015. Atlanta FC’s official colors (red, black and gold), are all featured on the circular logo, with the team name and a golden “A” on the borders and in the middle respectively. The 5 black stripes in the logo’s background represent the team’s 5 pillars: Unity, Determination, Community, Excellence and Innovation. The team’s logo is circular, reminiscent of the city’s seal and Olympic heritage. Atlanta United has been unofficially dubbed as “the five stripes” by fans and media, due to the prominence of the black stripes on both the logo and the jerseys. Atlanta’s kits are produced by sporting-brand Adidas and sponsored by American Family Insurance. The team’s home jersey consists of the classic Red and white stripes paired with black shorts, with away jerseys being an all-white kit complete with gold trimmings.