Atlanta United signed Polish international midfielder Bartosz Slisz (pronounced Slish) through the 2028 MLS season on Jan. 17, 2024. Slisz joined from Legia Warsaw of Poland’s first division and will occupy an international roster spot.
Slisz joined Atlanta after making 258 professional appearances in Europe with Polish clubs ROW 1964 Rybnik, Zaglebie Lubin and Legia Warsaw, winning two league titles, the Polish Cup and Polish Super Cup with Legia. The midfielder has recorded a combined 10 goals and 16 assists across all competitions in his career.
The midfielder started 34 of his 35 appearances in all competitions in his first season with Atlanta. He scored his first MLS goal in a 1-1 draw at Nashville SC on May 18 and scored his first playoff goal in Round One, Game 3 against Inter Miami CF, which proved to be the series-deciding goal as Atlanta won the match 3-2.
Slisz began his youth career at RKP Rybnik and later joined ROW 1964 Rybnik, the club where he would go on to make his professional debut in the Polish second division during the 2015-16 season. Slisz made 27 appearances with the club from 2015-17, tallying one goal and an assist before transferring to Zaglebie Lubin in February 2017. He made 12 appearances with the U-19 side and 15 appearances with the second team before joining the First Team, where he scored two goals and added four assists in 51 appearances, making his debut in the Polish first division during the 2017-18 season.
In February of 2020, Slisz made the move to Legia where he made 165 appearances across all competitions over five seasons, including in Europa League and Champions League Qualifying and six appearances in the Europa League, tallying five goals and 11 assists. After joining midseason, Slisz made seven league appearances as Legia won the league during the 2019-20 season, his first of four titles with the club. During following season in 2020-21, Slisz made 27 appearances and recorded two goals and an assist as Legia repeated as league champions to win its 15th league title, the most of any club in Poland. The midfielder made 32 league appearances during the 2021-22 and started five of his six appearances in the Europa League group stage. He made 32 appearances during the 2022-23 league season and helped Legia win the 2022-23 Polish Cup, featuring in six matches during the competition. Slisz began this season by playing the full 120 minutes as Legia won the 2023 Polish Super Cup in July and made 18 league appearances before transferring to MLS.
2024 (Atlanta United): MLS: Started 27 of his 28 regular season appearances and recorded one goal and one assist. Scored first MLS goal in 1-1 draw at Nashville SC on May 18. Recorded first MLS assist at Real Salt Lake on July 6. MLS Cup Playoffs: Started and played 90 minutes in all five of Atlanta’s playoff matches. Scored the game-winning goal in Round One, Game 3 against Inter Miami CF in 3-2 win on Nov. 9. Leagues Cup: Started and played 90 minutes in club’s two matches against D.C. United and Santos Laguna.
International: Slisz has made 14 appearances for the Polish National Team, making his debut in a World Cup Qualifying match against San Marino on Sept. 5, 2021. He also represented Poland at the U-18, U-20 and U-21 levels with a total of 28 appearances.
