Atlanta United sprinted toward the finish line and wrapped up the regular season earlier this month. Before we continue full speed into playoffs in November, let’s recap some of the best moments of October:
Best of the best
The accolades for the 5-Stripes piled up this month, starting with the MLS End-of-Year Awards. Giorgos Giakoumakis, Thiago Almada and Miles Robinson were named finalists in the respective categories: MLS Newcomer of the Year, MLS Young Player of the Year and Landon Donovan MLS MVP, and MLS Comeback Player of the Year. Atlanta earned 12 nominations overall with seven different players making the list.
Robinson to the rescue
It wouldn’t be an Atlanta United match without a crazy stoppage-time goal, and Miles Robinson delivered just that for the Goal of the Month. In the 97th minute of the home match against Columbus Crew, Thiago Almada sent in a perfect cross that found the head of Robinson, who redirected the ball into the goal to equalize 1-1. It was Robinson’s second goal of the season; both were headers assisted by Almada.
The pride of The Proving Ground
Atlanta United 2’s star Nick Firmino is moving up the ranks. The Brazilian midfielder was signed by Atlanta United this month to a first team contract through the 2026 season. Firmino had a record-breaking campaign with ATL UTD 2 and also scored the equalizing goal in his MLS debut with Atlanta United in June.
A star in the making
Atlanta already knew how special Caleb Wiley was, but it was further confirmed throughout the league after he was named to the 22 Under 22 list presented by BODYARMOR which ranks the top 22 players in MLS under 22 years of age. Wiley was ranked No. 9 on the list, joining Thiago Almada as the two Atlanta United players named to the list in back-to-back years.
5 million in the Fortress
In a month full of breaking records, one of the biggest was Atlanta United becoming the fastest team in Major League Soccer to reach five million spectators to attend regular season matches at home. The 5-Stripes set the record with 42,684 supporters in attendance on October 7 for the club's home match against Eastern Conference opponent Columbus Crew.
The History of Atlanta Soccer
The Atlanta United digital team released the first episode of "The History of Atlanta Soccer" presented by Piedmont, an audio series tracking the growth of the sport in the city dating back to the early 1900s. “Episode 0: The Beginnings” kicks off the series setting the scene prior to the city’s first professional soccer franchise.
- LISTEN: "The History of Atlanta Soccer" presented by Piedmont is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Final Push
Atlanta United released the third episode of “Rooted in the Stripes,” a documentary series that covers the club’s 2023 season. The episode rehashes the final 10 matches of the regular season and includes interviews from players Brad Guzan and Xande Silva and former Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst and others.
Welcome back, Skate
Atlanta United named Sarah Kate Noftsinger as Vice President and Chief Business Officer earlier this month. Noftsinger led Atlanta United’s marketing and fan engagement efforts from 2015-20 and re-joins the club after spending the last three years at adidas as the Head of Sports Marketing for Soccer in North America. Noftsinger will begin her tenure on Nov. 6.
