Chris Henderson seeks to add depth, top-end talent to roster 

The first major hire of Atlanta United’s offseason has been made.

Chris Henderson, longtime MLS executive, was announced as the club’s new Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director. On Tuesday, Henderson spoke to local media for the first time at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, sitting alongside club president and CEO Garth Lagerwey at a press conference.

“Chris is a proven winner,” Lagerwey said of his fellow executive. “He’s one of the most decorated executives in MLS history with nine titles to his credit. He’s one of the best talent evaluators in our league.”

Lagerwey called this hire the first big step of the offseason and remaking the club. Atlanta United also has a head coaching vacancy and two designated player spots open.

Here are a few of the other insights from Henderson’s introductory press conference on Tuesday:

How Chris Henderson is going to approach the roster

As Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director, Henderson will be responsible for soccer-related decisions and roster construction. He shared some of his philosophy about building teams. He said that there are many ways to fill out a team, and many ways a team can be successful, but one aspect a team almost definitely needs is depth:

“What happens when you have injuries? What happens when players get called up to international duty? You need to have those answers ready and give your coach and your coaching staff all the weapons they need to have success because there’s going to be ups and downs in a season.”

On top of adding depth to the roster, Henderson also noted the importance of adding key players. His goal is to “nail the DPs,” those designated players who will be expected to carry the team at important positions.

Atlanta United has two designated player spots open on its roster, which Henderson sees as huge potential. He’s excited to collaborate with the existing staff to target the right players who will make a difference.

“We want to add some top-end, really high talent, and then fill in those pieces to complement those players,” Henderson said. “It’s about building off of those, then doing it over two or three transfer windows.”

Atlanta United, and the two other MLS clubs that led to this moment

As Lagerwey and Henderson laid out their plans for Atlanta United on Tuesday, two other MLS clubs came up during their conversation.

The first was the club where these two men met: Seattle Sounders. Both executives have a history at the Western Conference club – Lagerwey was there for eight years, Henderson for 12. (Henderson was actually the club’s first-ever technical staff hire when Sounders FC received its MLS charter in 2008.)

Henderson said that he immediately recognized two similarities between Seattle and Atlanta United. Both clubs have a strong connection with their supporters and have bold ambition.

“[Atlanta United] is a club that has high expectations, that wants to succeed, wants to win titles, and that’s challenging as it is,” Henderson said. “As someone who can help build a team that has expectations from the fans and the club, we’re going to work hard to accomplish all those things.”

The other club that came up during the press conference was a club much closer in proximity to Atlanta: Inter Miami CF. That’s the club Henderson most recently worked for. Henderson’s roster went on to win the Supporters’ Shield last season and record the most points ever in the regular season. It was the same team Atlanta United shocked and knocked out in the first round of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Inter Miami CF has a lot to entice someone on its own. The club boasts the best player in the world and 2024 Landon Donovan MVP in Lionel Messi, has a new stadium in the works (Miami Freedom Park) and will host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.

That’s quite a few reasons for someone in Henderson’s position to stay in Miami. But for him, there are just as many enticing reasons – U.S. Soccer, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, a roster with a lot of flexibility, working with an old collaborator – to come to Atlanta.

“It was about this opportunity, it was about the potential and the ambition of Atlanta United, the potential for where we can take this club together,” he said. “I feel like it’s a great working environment here. It’s my second day here, but I love the people here. I love the relationships that I’m finding here and the collaboration. The opportunity, and the support of Arthur Blank and the resources this club has is something that’s not common in MLS. To have that kind of support from ownership is great for us.”

Executives with enormous experience

Lagerwey and Henderson have worked together previously. The two spoke highly of each other during Tuesday’s press conference. Henderson even described Lagerwey as a close friend and said that there’s a level of trust, comfort and shared success between them.

They also appear to complement each other well and bring different strengths to the table. Lagerwey, who is trained as a lawyer, considers himself process-oriented and logical. Meanwhile, Henderson is more experienced on the pitch, having made 79 caps for the U.S. men’s national team, and has as a keen eye for talent.

“Garth’s a winner as well,” Henderson said. “He’s done it at a smaller club in Salt Lake. He’s done it in Seattle, and we’re going to do it here in Atlanta.”

Henderson joins a front office at Atlanta United that consists of Lagerwey, Senior Vice President of Strategy Dimitrios Efstathiou, and Senior Vice President & Chief Business Officer Sarah Kate Noftsinger. Along with Director of Methodology Javier Perez and Director of High Performance David Tenney, a recent hire, Lagerwey noted that the club’s leadership team is mostly new, but that they all bring enormous experience.

“We believe by making these investments this is where we can gain a competitive advantage because there is no salary cap when it comes to executive talent,” Lagerwey said.

For Lagerwey, adding Henderson is part of a plan to create sustainability. The club’s president & CEO has acknowledged that he is deliberate with his methodology. His motto is, “once it gets fixed, it stays fixed.”

And for Henderson, that long-term success applies to the pathway too. When asked which aspect of the club besides the roster he wants to see growth he answered the youth system and the Academy. He’s excited about the club’s expansion to the facility and how that can help the second team and the Academy. He sees opportunities to grow the club as a whole, not just the first team but young talent also.

“I love that growth and ability to look at something longterm,” he said. “We want to build something that’s sustainable and consistent. That goes into the infrastructure, the planning, everything behind the scenes.”