Atlanta United's 2024 season may have come to a close, but a busy offseason is just ramping up. With a new head coach and sporting director on the way, there's a lot for supporters to look forward to this offseason, as the club looks to build off its unlikely and magical run in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Atlanta United president and CEO Garth Lagerwey answered questions from the media on Tuesday afternoon. Here were some of the major topics he covered during his press conference:
Rob Valentino's future
Lagerwey met with Rob Valentino Tuesday morning and had a good conversation with the club's interim head coach. While Lagerwey was complimentary of Valentino, saying he's done a fantastic job with the group, he confirmed that Valentino will not be a final candidate for the permanent head coaching position at Atlanta United.
"I can't thank him enough for what he did with our group, for how he was able to maximize our team and to go on a playoff run and beat Miami," Lagerwey said. "He's going to be part of Atlanta history and lore for the forseeable future. I'm proud of him and thankful that I got a chance to work with him."
Valentino has served as interim head coach for Atlanta United since June, his second stint in the role, taking over a team coming off five straight home losses. Under his leadership, Atlanta United qualified for its sixth playoffs in club history.
Lagerwey reiterated that while Valentino did a great job, the club CEO and president is seeking a manager with experience and championship pedigree. Valentino led Atlanta United during an improbable and exciting run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, which included an upset over Supporters' Shield winners Inter Miami. However, Atlanta United did not win a trophy during that run:
"Unfortunately, we came up just short of that, which doesn't diminish the run that we went on. We had a lot of fun, and it was certainly spectacular to have 70,000 people in the building for Game 2. You could tell it was a special moment, a special event. In a lot of ways, it redeemed the season, salvaged the season, in what otherwise would've been a pretty bumpy experience. So excited what Rob is going to bring in the future. But unfortunately, it will not be as the head coach of Atlanta United at this time."
What it takes to be the head coach of Atlanta United
So with Valentino out of the running, what should supporters expect out of the next head coach of Atlanta United? For Lagerwey the answer is simple: a proven winner.
To hit that mark, Lagerwey has cast a wide net. Candidates include not just MLS coaches but also coaches from all around the world.
"What is maybe not clear at the moment is just how desirable it is to work for Atlanta United," he said. "The type of candidates that we are able to attract to this franchise is really, really impressive. I think we're going to wind up with somebody good as the next head coach."
Lagerwey said that they are down to a couple of finalists. He is hopeful to make the decision within the next couple of weeks before Christmas.
There is also another vacancy at Atlanta United on the technical side: the role of sporting director, previously held by Carlos Bocanegra. Lagerwey said the timing for that hire will be similar to the head coaching job and that he is far along in the process for both positions. He also said that it's also important that the two candidates for head coach and sporting director meet each other to ensure that it's the right fit.
"We'll get it buttoned up here in the next couple of weeks, and we'll get two people that are really good, and we're going to get two people that are really good together," he said. "Some of that is sitting around, to be fair, probably more Zoom calls than coffee tables right now, but we'll get them on the same line together and talk philosophy and make sure we're aligned in terms of big picture stuff. Then, we'll get going."
Players coming in and players coming back
Just before the press conference, the club released its report of year-end roster moves. Among the list included players who had their contract options exercised. Six players had their contract options declined.
One player the club will be bringing back is veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Lagerwey said bringing Guzan back for what will be his ninth year with the club was a no-brainer. "Brad beat Miami," he said. Lagerwey called Guzan's reaction after Leo Campana pushed the goalkeeper into the net after Miami scored during Game 3 of the MLS Cup Playoffs an iconic moment.
"You can just watch the group draw strength from that," he said. "That was the inflection point where, not only were we going to go down in that because that was the equalizing goal, but we were going to beat these guys. We were going to go toe-to-toe with them and not back down. Brad, not just through his goalkeeping but through his leadership, he really showed what he brings to the table. He made such a difference for us in the series. We're really excited to bring him back again."
The club will return 22 players to its roster moving into 2025. Lagerwey said that the playoff run showed that the group has some good pieces that they can build around, namely Alexey Miranchuk, Saba Lobjanidze and Pedro Amador. For example, Lagerwey talked about adding more team speed, which could help create space for a player like Miranchuk, who wants to play long vertical passes in behind.
But there are some needs to address. With a serious injury to Brooks Lennon, Atlanta United may need more depth on the backline. Additionally, the expiring loan on Daniel Ríos and the option declined for Jamal Thiaré also creates a need in the attack.
"Broadly speaking, we're going to add a defender and an attacker," Lagerwey said. "We have those two DP spots open. We're going to look to deploy those."
We've seen Lagerwey's approach to adding new players in previous transfer windows. This past summer, incoming transfers Miranchuk and Amador were advertised as players entering MLS in the prime of their careers. For Lagerwey, this is key. He wants to add players to the roster who are on the brink of playing their best soccer and who want to be in Atlanta for the longterm.
"We specifically want to get out of the business of signing players for a short period of time for the purpose of selling them," he said. "We want guys to come here and compete for championships."
A clear-eyed picture of the 2024 season
Atlanta United's 2024 season ended on a high note. The team grabbed a playoff spot at the last minute on Decision Day, after they had a 10 percent chance of qualifying at all. They went on to win the Wild Card game in penalty kicks, then upset Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale to claim Round One and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"We won a playoff series for the first time in five years," Lagerwey said. "That's a great step forward for this club and it absolutely is progress."
While ending the season on a bright note, Lagerwey said it's his job to look at the season more completely. Atlanta United concluded the regular season with a 10-14-10 record. They finished 9th in the Eastern Conference. Lagerwey acknowledged the group fell short of two of their preseason goals: finishing in the top four in the conference and advancing out of the group stage of Leagues Cup.
He echoed the sentiments of veterans Guzan and Dax McCarty, who both described this season as frustrating:
"Just as we celebrate the run that we went on, we have to acknowledge and accept that we put ourselves in that position by failing to perform earlier in the year... we need to clear-eyed look at the whole picture and move forward."
For the club, 2024 has been characterized by change. They've changed head coaches, changed sporting directors. And with those two additions being made this offseason, more change will be coming. For Lagerwey, his priority as CEO and president is setting the club up for consistent success, which is on his mind heading into a new season.
"We are going to be prepared for 2025 with people in place that will be stabilized and will give us the platform to drive forward as we go forward into 2025," he said.
A significant positive that Lagerwey mentioned a few times: Game 2, second match in the Round One Best-of-3 series against Miami on November 2. It was the only playoff match Atlanta United was able to host at home as the No. 9 seed. That night drew more than 68,000 people to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a postseason record.
Atlanta United not only beat Miami in an elimination match, paving the way for the inevitable upset, but supporters got a taste of playoff soccer in Atlanta at full throttle.
"We'll be a work in progress, but the biggest thing is, can we take where we ended the season and make it the base as the springboard, as the new floor," Lagerwey said. "This is our expectation. This is where we should be every year. Now, can we build on that and contend for championships? That's the next step."
