March 5.
The date has extraordinary significance for Atlanta United – it’s the first day supporters gathered in an arena, packed to the brim and buzzing, the first time chants rang out, voices united and resounding, the first time the boys suited up wearing the 5-Stripes, the bold, determined colors of Atlanta’s football club.
Eight years ago today, Atlanta United played the club’s first official competition in Major League Soccer. The weather at kick that Sunday was all-clear, and it was a glorious evening for Atlanta United’s debut. Founding members finally got to see what they’ve been looking forward to since 2014 when MLS announced the expansion to Atlanta as the 22nd club under the dedicated leadership and investment of owner Arthur M. Blank. Excitedly, they wore the scarves they received on announcement day to the match, a token of their unwavering patience and support since Day 1.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium was still months away, so the match was held at Bobby Dodd Stadium on the campus of Georgia Tech. Supporters flooded MARTA, marched down North Avenue, filled the streets of Midtown Atlanta with the club's first jersey, the 5-Stripes Kit. They greeted players for the first-ever team arrival and signed the very first Golden Spike, etching their names into the history books forever to begin the beautiful pre-match tradition Atlanta United carries out to this day.
Atlanta had always been a hotbed for soccer. The history of the sport in the city dates to the late 1890s and early 1900s. First, in little pockets – the Irish and Scottish stonecutters in Lithonia, Latin players recruited to play at Mercer and Georgia Tech, leagues at Piedmont Park. Over time, professional franchises picked up: the Atlanta Chiefs, the Apollos, the Atlanta Chiefs again, the Georgia Generals, the Ruckus, the Silverbacks.
Atlanta United reached the top of the mountain that took many, many efforts to climb. On that day in 2017, Atlanta found a soccer team that would not only stick – Atlanta United’s intrepid beginning would become the example of how great American soccer can be.
Atlanta United’s inaugural roster featured some familiar faces in MLS. Atlanta was the fifth MLS club for defender Jeff Larentowicz, already an MLS Cup winner who would continue his 15-year career in Atlanta. Michael Parkhurst, another MLS veteran, signed after stints in Columbus and New England. While Brad Guzan was finishing his season with Middlesbrough, Decatur’s own Alec Kann, the former Chicago Fire and Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper, started in goal.
The roster also introduced new faces. The first designated player in club history, Héctor “Tito” Villalba, came from Paraguay. Head coach Tata Martino recruited another rising star from Paraguay, a guy by the name of Miguel Almirón. The starting striker was of course Josef Martínez, kicking off a legendary career that would make him the team’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Atlanta United's first-ever starting XI: Alec Kann, Greg Garza, Leandro González-Perez, Parkhurst, Tyrone Mears, Julian Gressel, Carlos Carmona, Yamil Asad, Almirón, Villalba, Martínez.
For the first match, Atlanta United faced off against New York Red Bulls. With fireworks shooting above the Atlanta skyline, supporters raised the first tifo in club history: a black canvas with the Resurgens phoenix from the city seal in gold, the same color as the stripes on the players’ socks; the words “Unite” and “Conquer” on either side. The first A-T-L chant brought tens of thousands of voices together as one, their claps joined-up in between each letter like a strong heartbeat.
Atlanta is a city home to several professional sports franchises, but they’d never seen anything like this. The passion, the excitement, the breaths drawn at every shot taken, the impressed cheers for each unbelievable tackle or dribble, the universal language of soccer that brings so many different people together.
The environment felt like a Premier League or La Liga match in Europe – mixed with the hospitality of a southern, diverse metropolis.
On that day, the world witnessed Soccer in the South come to life.
The teams kicked off, and the first goal in club history arrived 25 minutes later. Atlanta United defender Tyrone Mears whipped a ball into the box. The cross sailed over the head of a flying Greg Garza and landed at the feet of Yamil Asad. The Argentine midfielder slid a low shot into the corner for the opening goal of the match.
The more than 55,000 in attendance at Bobby Dodd raised their hands in unison, a euphoric moment of gratitude and celebration for the team's historic first goal.
Even though it was the first game, there was no slouch or rust from Atlanta United. The game was competitive, tied 1-1 until the late moments. Atlanta United conceded an own goal, and eventually lost their club opener, but the night was a brilliant display of competition. Atlanta put the league on notice that they were a club and a city to take seriously, and with the supporters in attendance creating an atmosphere that exceeded expectations, the Atlanta United era started with a bang.
Fast forward eight years, and Atlanta United again is playing host to New York Red Bulls on the same week as that inaugural club match. This time, the match will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first of five upcoming home matches for the 5-Stripes in the 2025 season.
When the drums start to pound from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and the players take the pitch underneath the retractable roof and the goals start to come from Saba Lobjanidze and Latte Lath and Almirón, we’ll remember the moment when it all began:
March 5, 2017.
