The weather was beautiful, the sun was bright, the team trained… you know, just another day in Mexico for Atlanta United. Not a whole lot to report.
Just kidding.
Actually, there was a lot going on Wednesday. We’ll start with the biggest news of the day that dropped at 9:30 local time when the club announced it acquired Thiago Almada, the highly touted (and long rumored) attacking midfielder out of Argentina.
Almada arrived in Mexico late on Tuesday. He met briefly with coaches, ran into some teammates passing around the hotel, then went into a ballroom that our digital team transformed into a pitch-black makeshift studio. Almada was very patient with us. He got his photo taken and posed for videos before he called it a night, just one sleep away from officially being welcomed into the world of MLS.
(Which, at that point, our digital team got to work, staying up until 2 a.m. editing photos and video.)
The 20-year-old was at Atlanta United's early training session on Wednesday but mostly observed, getting some rest after a long travel day. The team did welcome him to the squad by putting him through the pre-practice welcome tunnel.
In the morning, the team worked on shooting in the attacking third – and the goalkeepers got some live practice. The team worked on making quick passes inside the final third. This must be the kind of drill that forwards love – it’s purely about setting up the shot and finishing. Jackson Conway delivered a nice diving header, so did Josef Martínez. Luiz Araújo sent in a curling shot with his left foot. Tyler Wolff put one or two away on the first touch.
At 12:30 p.m. local time, Atlanta United held a press conference to comment on Almada’s signing. Club president Darren Eales, vice president Carlos Bocanegra and head coach Gonzalo Pineda met with the media via Zoom. Bocanegra made an opening statement addressing first the off-the-field investigation Almada was associated with, an investigation that has since been archived.
“This morning, after an in-depth due diligence process, we were able to exercise our exclusive option to transfer in Thiago permanently,” Bocanegra said. “It’s a process that we took very seriously. We devoted all resources into ensuring that this was the right move for the club, and we’re allowing the legal process to play out.”
Then, the group talked about Almada’s appeal as a player. On the field, Almada is considered a top talent in South America. After a brief look at his highlights, you can see his playmaking ability. One of my favorite plays in his highlight package is the pass he makes right at the 17-second mark. That pass is just made on a different line -- and I feel like I haven't seen that a lot.
There was another training session after lunch – and this time, Almada joined. Believe me, I kept my eyes on him, very interested to see how this young, highly touted phenom looked in person. The team did diamond passing drills, moving the ball quickly in a shape and working on creating space off a defender. In this drill, it was easy to see Almada’s anticipation and quick movements. And he's getting in there with teammates already, especially fellow Argentines Franco Ibarra and Alan Franco.
The team went through some competitive conditioning games before switching fields at Club Atlas Colomos. On the large pitch, they played possession games and 5-v-5 scrimmages. (Almada sat out this portion of practice, the coaches working to ease him in with his fitness.)
Also in the afternoon, Atlanta United had a special visit. A group from Liga Cordica 21, a soccer league for people with Down syndrome, arrived to Club Atlas Colomos to watch practice. The players, most in their Cordica blue jerseys with yellow numbers, got to watch training. The players clapped for Atlanta United when they finished up practice then were welcomed onto the field to kick the soccer ball around and pose for a photo.
We got to talk to a few of the coaches after practice and hang around with some of the players. They were all so lovely – smiling and polite. They were passionate about the program, brought a flag as a gift and extended a kind invitation for Atlanta United to be a special guest at their upcoming tournament in April.
It was a really heartwarming moment for the entire club to visit and get to know some amazing local players here in Jalisco.
Stay tuned at ATLUTD.com/mexico and ATLUTD on Twitter for more coverage from Mexico.
