Atlanta United may announce its USL affiliation as soon as next week, team president Darren Eales said on Tuesday while attending the MLS combine in Carson, Calif. Eales declined to say who the partner may be.

The club was affiliated with Charleston (S.C.) in 2016. Several players, including goalkeeper Alex Tambakis, midfielder Andrew Carleton and forward Jeffrey Otoo spent time with the Battery. Other academy players made spot appearances with the club.

The USL was considered the third division in the U.S. soccer hierarchy, but was recently granted provisional second-division status by the United States Soccer Federation.

Twenty-one MLS teams had affilations, or partnered with, USL teams in 2016. The affiliations/partnerships are typically used to give inexperienced players a place to get playing time.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia State coach Jonas Hayes will lead his team in an exhibition against UGA on Wednesday, alongside his brother Jarvis. The Hayes brothers both played for UGA. (Courtesy of Daniel Wilson)

Credit: Daniel Wilson

Featured

Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)