Carlos Bocanegra’s hits and misses at Atlanta United

Carlos Bocanegra’s time as an Atlanta United Vice President and the Technical Director ended Wednesday after nine years on the job picking players and setting up the scouting network and academy.

The team still has a chance to make the playoffs this season. It is in the ninth and final MLS playoff spot in the East with seven matches remaining, so there remains the possibility of a fourth trophy in the club’s history.

The previous four seasons are better left unsaid.

It’s time to review Bocanegra’s biggest hits and misses as the person responsible for building the teams over the years. Neither the credit nor the blame for the selections are entirely on Bocanegra but his name is on the top of the department’s org chart so ...

Hits

Thiago Almada. Small in stature but with a cannon for a right foot, he kept Atlanta United in many matches with his free kicks and vision. He was recently sold for a total that could reach $31 million. He finished with 24 goals, tied for second-most in team history.

Miguel Almiron. He came as a relative unknown from Lanus in Argentina and turned into one of the more feared attackers in MLS, plus he generated more than $13 million in profit when he was sold to Newcastle. It was the largest sale in MLS history, a record that Atlanta United later broke. He remains the team’s third-most scorer (22 goals) in league matches.

George Bello. He was the first Atlanta United academy player to become a regular starter and played well enough as a left fullback to be called to the U.S. men’s national team and well enough to be sold to a first-division club in Germany before the 2022 season.

Franco Escobar. Another under-the-radar Argentine, Escobar’s versatility to play as a left fullback, winger or centerback gave Martino the flexibility to change formations without having to change his lineup.

Giorgos Giakoumakis. Signed from Celtic before the 2023 season, Giakoumakis became the striker that Atlanta United hadn’t had after Josef Martinez’s injury. Big and strong, Giakoumakis proved a handful for defenses before he was sold to Cruz Azul in the 2024 summer window. He scored 24 goals in league matches.

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. While Parkhurst was calm, Gonzalez Pirez, signed before the 2017 season from Estudiantes in Argentina, was the fire in Atlanta United’s defense. There wasn’t a tackle he wouldn’t attempt or a referee he wouldn’t argue with.

Julian Gressel. The team’s second-ever draft pick was slotted into the starting lineup and along with Almiron fed Martinez on many of his goals from whatever position he played.

Brad Guzan. He came from England after the transfer window opened and slotted in as Atlanta United’s starting goalkeeper. It’s a position he has held since.

Alec Kann. The MLS veteran was in goal for two of Atlanta United’s trophies: the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup. He also started Atlanta United’s first 17 matches.

Jeff Larentowicz. Signed as a free agent before the 2017 season, Larentowicz was the steel in Atlanta United’s midfield and a guy who could be counted on to sort things during matches.

Brooks Lennon. Atlanta United needed a player who could bomb in crosses from the right. Lennon, signed before the 2021 season, remains that player with 32 assists for the club.

Saba Lobjanidze. Signed from Hatayspor in Turkey during the 2023 season, the tireless worker on the right wing has been Atlanta United’s most consistent offensive threat this season, with six goals and seven assists.

Josef Martinez. He came as a winger from Torino in Italy on loan and turned into the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (110 goals across all comps) and an MVP in 2018.

Gerardo Martino. The former manager of Barcelona and Argentina led Atlanta United to an MLS Cup.

Darlington Nagbe. The trade with Portland for Nagbe, one of the better pressure-breakers in MLS history, before 2018 was another hugely important move that eventually resulted in Atlanta United winning the MLS Cup.

Michael Parkhurst. Picked up in a trade before the 2017 season, he was Atlanta United’s first captain and a calming presence in the back line. His ability to read and snuff attacks allowed his teammates the freedom to get forward.

Eric Remedi. It’s easy to forget now, but Remedi’s purchase in the summer transfer window of 2018 and his play as a defensive midfielder the last half of the season were immensely important to Atlanta United’s title run.

Miles Robinson. The team’s first-ever draft pick eventually developed into a regular starter for the U.S. men’s national team and one of the better one-on-one defenders in MLS.

Hector Villalba. Atlanta United’s first Designated Player provided proof of concept that Atlanta United could sign up-and-coming talents from South America. Villalba also finished with 22 goals in league matches.

Caleb Wiley. The left fullback came up through Atlanta United’s academy and played well enough to be called into the U.S. men’s national team and to be sold to Chelsea during the recent transfer window.

Misses

Luiz Araujo. This seemed like a slam-dunk signing. A winger who helped Lille win La Liga and reach the Champions League. Instead, Araujo became a frustrating player because of poor shot selection and an odd ability to dribble into defenders, rather than around them. The talent was obvious. The results (11 goals in 59 appearances), less so.

Ezequiel Barco. He was Almiron’s understudy as an attacking midfielder. Signed for a record fee of almost $15 million, Barco never lived up to the hype for lots of reasons.

Andrew Carleton. He was Atlanta United’s first Homegrown signee and projected to be a key piece in central midfield. Maturity issues and poor decision-making kept him from developing.

Jurgen Damm. The biggest head-scratcher of them all, Damm signed when Atlanta United was trying to make the playoffs in 2020 for a fairly large salary. Purported to be one of the world’s fastest soccer players, that speed never resulted in much of anything other than passes missed or shots over the bar.

Alan Franco. Franco became a regular starter at centerback, but also was good for seemingly one impactful mistake a game.

Gabriel Heinze. A decision that could be argued the club still suffers from. He was hired as manager before the 2021 season and quickly proved to be an ill-fit for the franchise’s culture and results. He was fired after 13 matches. Bocanegra and President Darren Eales later admitted they should have done more due diligence and said COVID-19 protocols made doing so difficult. That miss resulted in Atlanta United starting over with a search that resulted in Gonzalo Pineda. It’s not fair to call him a miss because of the myriad injuries that affected the team during his tenure, but it did continue the cycle of hires that resulted in Bocanegra’s firing.

Pity Martinez. After Barco came Martinez for another big fee. The former South American player of the year was solid but rarely spectacular. He scored seven goals in league matches.

Fernando Meza. He was going to be the next Gonzalez Pirez in 2021 but lasted only one season.

Marcelino Moreno. It may be unfair to call Moreno a “miss,” but he came in as a DP when Atlanta United was struggling to make the playoffs in 2020. No matter the manager, he never could find consistency.

Santiago Sosa/Franco Ibarra. Signed to on the model of buy/develop/sell, neither developed into consistent first-teamers and are on loan to clubs in South America.

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup