As Atlanta United kicked off a new season this weekend, one of the 5-Stripes hit an important milestone. Brooks Lennon made his 200th appearance in the MLS regular season Saturday in Atlanta's 1-0 loss to the defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew.
Of that total, 114 matches have been with Atlanta United.
Lennon ranks fourth in most matches played for Atlanta United. Along with Lennon, Josef Martínez, Jeff Larentowicz, Brad Guzan and Miles Robinson have all played 100 regular season matches or more for the club.
Lennon joined Atlanta United on December 2, 2019 and has since grown into one of the most dependable players on the pitch, earning the nickname "Mr. Reliable." In 2020, he led all Atlanta outfield players in appearances (26), starts (21) and minutes (1,956) across all competitions. In 2023, Lennon led the team in minutes played. He played a full 90 minutes Saturday after making head coach Gonzalo Pineda's starting XI.
"At the right times, Gonzalo wants to make sure I'm being a danger to opponents in the box, whether I'm scoring goals, assisting," Lennon said. "Just making sure I have the right balance going forward and doing my job offensively, but also knowing that my number one goal and focus is the team is to be the right back, to be the main line of defense."
Each season he's been in Atlanta, Lennon has increased his production. After tallying six assists in 2021 and seven assists in 2022, he reached double-digit assists for the first time in his career last season (10). In all competitions, Lennon has notched 28 assists, tied for third-most in club history.
Heading into a new season, Lennon is looking to continue his growth and production. In preseason, he said his goal for 2024 is to score five goals and have 15 assists.
"I think that's important for everyone is to set personal goals to keep you accountable every day so you don't come in here and go through the motions. You're actually working toward something," he said. "Last year, I ended up with four goals and 13 assists in total, and there's no reason why I can't up the bar. That's very achievable for me as long as I keep my head down, stay humble and keep working hard."
The 26-year-old defender also wants to get more opportunities with the U.S. men's national team. Lennon has made one appearance for the Red, White, and Blue in his playing career. After what he called 'a positive conversation' with U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter over the phone, Lennon is optimistic about his future.
"I do believe that I'm going to get another opportunity this year to get called in, and it's up to me at that point to perform, which I believe I've done in the past callups I've had," he said. "Just making sure that I'm ready at all times, and when I do that opportunity to take advantage of it so I can be with the national team fulltime."
Lennon and Atlanta United play the first home match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, March 9 as they host New England Revolution.
