Xande Silva’s goal in stoppage time sealed Atlanta United’s 2-1 win against Miami in last year’s playoff game and caused the more than 60,000 people at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to scream with joy.
Josh Blank, son of team owner Arthur Blank, turned to Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey and told him that this moment, with victory sealed and people happy, was how the stadium felt in 2018 when the team last won MLS Cup.
Lagerwey, who shared that story, had been trying to build a team capable of more of those moments. The 2024 version was knocked out in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The 2025 version is about to find out if it’s capable of finishing top four, a goal stated by many, starting with Saturday’s season-opening match against Montreal. This team features new players Miguel Almiron, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Mateusz Klich and Cayman Togashi; new manager Ronny Deila; new sporting director Chris Henderson; and new hope. It seems like a team whose parts go together. It seems like a team that has both a vision and a way to fulfill that vision.
“I think we have the chance to move in that direction now, to try to re-create those environments, like, when Atlanta United won the championship,” Lagerwey said. “And that’s what we want to get back to.”
That team was built on speed and scoring, with defenders who could win one-on-one battles. This year’s team is definitely geared toward offense. It added designated players and speedsters Almiron and Latte Lath to work off playmaker Alexey Miranchuk and winger Saba Lobjanidze. Klich, formerly a DP who was gotten for pennies on the dollar in an inexplicable trade with D.C. United, will be a deeper playmaker.
The team in 2018 scored 70 goals, tying the mark it set in 2017. It remains the franchise season high. Lagerwey was asked if this team is capable of reaching either that mark, or the single-season player record of 31 goals set by Josef Martinez in ‘18.
“If we’re able to put those three guys out there consistently, then I do think you could see us for a lot of goals,” Lagerwey said. “You could see some of those individual records fall. But to be clear, I don’t believe that the Latte Lath is here for an individual accolade. He’s here to help the team. He’s here to make us the best team we can be. He’s come to win things. Why is Chris Henderson here? That’s coming off a Supporters Shield-winning point-record setting season? It’s to win MLS Cup. Why am I here? To win MLS Cup. So we are all aligned … and we are here to win championships.”
The players agree. Lobjanidze, who led the team in goals last season, said he doesn’t care if goalkeeper Brad Guzan scores 10 goals as long as Atlanta United is winning.
“I hope we all score a lot of goals,” he said. “And honestly, doesn’t matter who will score, right?”
In the reconfigured attack, Lobjanidze will move from the right, where he played last season, to left. He likes the move because it will enable him to cut inside onto his favored right foot when he is attacking. Latte Lath will play as a single striker, though Almiron, who will line up on the right, likely will drift around in an attempt to find spaces within the defense’s formation. Miranchuk will play centrally, with Klich and Bartosz Slisz underneath him linking defense to offense.
Deila thinks the team is ready. He knows the math, too. The past four seasons, the team that finished in fourth averaged 55 goals scored and 43 conceded. Atlanta United scored 46 goals and gave up 49 last season. He thinks the team is capable of scoring at least 50 but needs to concede no more than 40.
“I think we have done everything we wanted to do in the preseason,” he said. “I think we are in a very good place. We have some good performances. We have had some good improvements. I think we have a consistency in what we have done, and we look sharp in training.”
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Atlanta United’s 2025 schedule
Feb. 22 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
March 1 at Charlotte, 2 p.m., Apple, Fox
March 8 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Apple
March 16 vs. Miami, 7 p.m., Apple
March 22 at Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., Apple
March 29 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 5 vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 12 vs. New England, 2:30 p.m., Apple, Fox
April 19 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 26 at Orlando, 7 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 3 vs. Nashville, 2:30 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 10 at Chicago, 2:30 p.m., Apple
May 14 at Austin, 8:30 p.m., Apple
May 17 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 25 vs. Cincinnati, 7 p.m., Apple
May 28 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 31 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 12 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 25 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 28 at Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 5 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 16 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Apple, FS1
July 19 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 26 vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 30 vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup
Aug. 2. vs. Pumas in Orlando, Leagues Cup
Aug. 6 vs. Atlas, Leagues Cup
Aug. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 16 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 24 vs. Toronto, 5 p.m., Apple
Aug. 30 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Apple
Sept. 13 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 20 vs. San Diego, 4:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 27 at New England, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 5 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 18 vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m., Apple
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