Atlanta United’s season-ticket renewal rates decreased for the 2025 season by an unspecified amount, according to President Garth Lagerwey, who expressed optimism Wednesday that sales will improve.
Atlanta United led the league in announced average attendance (49,351) last season, continuing a streak that started in its inaugural 2017 season.
In July, while the club was struggling, the club announced that season ticket prices for club seats in 2025 would increase by an average of $10, or $180 for the season. Those in non-club seats saw an average increase of $2.70 per ticket, per match, or $48.60 more for the season. Those in the supporters section saw an average increase of $1.89 per ticket, per match, or $34.02 more for the season.
The club expected a retention rate of at least 90%.
Lagerwey said he understood that some fans were upset with the results of last season, which saw manager Gonzalo Pineda fired in June, technical director Carlos Bocanegra fired in September, several standout players sold during the summer window, and the club finished in the ninth and final playoff spot because of a combination of results on the final match day.
The season was saved by the club defeating Montreal in the wild-card round and then upsetting Inter Miami in the best-of-three playoff series. Atlanta United eliminated by Orlando in the semifinals.
The club has since hired Chris Henderson as chief soccer officer and Ronny Deila as manager and is actively pursuing a striker and midfielder before its season opener, scheduled for Feb. 22 against Montreal. The players will report for preseason medicals Saturday. The first training session is scheduled for Monday.
“What we believe is that we are on the path now to having a better soccer team, and we think if we have a better soccer team, more people are going to buy Atlanta United tickets, and that’s what we’re excited about,” Lagerwey said.
Lagerwey said the health of the franchise is very good and that every penny of the sales of Giorgos Giakoumakis, Caleb Wiley and Thiago Almada will be reinvested into the roster.
“This is not something where we have a long-term concern with our fan base, or the interest in Atlanta,” he said.
Brooks Lennon. Lagerwey said the club expects that fullback Brooks Lennon will miss all of the preseason as he recovers from shoulder surgery. Lennon suffered a dislocation of his left shoulder in the first game of the playoff series at Inter Miami.
Lennon started 33 matches and produced eight assists last season. He has 146 appearances for Atlanta United since joining the club before the 2020 season.
Ronald Hernandez and Noah Cobb likely will compete at right fullback while Lennon recovers.
Leagues Cup. Lagerwey said he expects that Atlanta United will be among the MLS clubs that will compete in this year’s Leagues Cup, a tournament that features MLS clubs against clubs from Mexico. The first two tournaments featured all of the clubs from both leagues. This year’s tournament will be pared down, but neither league has said which clubs will compete. Atlanta United failed to advance out of the opening group stage in the first two.
Training ground. The $23 million expansion of the training ground’s headquarters remains on schedule and on budget, Lagerwey said.
Part of the construction is scheduled for completion in the summer and all of it is scheduled to be ready by the spring of 2026, before the World Cup. The work will happen on the center’s east side between the main building and the pavilion, whose ground-floor locker rooms will be refurbished to accommodate national teams that may train at the center during the World Cup and future matches.
The addition will include an altitude room, a cognitive-improvement room, production studios, podcast room, esports room, a media room, and a gym, locker room and administrative spaces for Atlanta United 2.
“It’s a really significant investment in maintaining this as the best training ground in all of MLS, and so just couldn’t be more excited about what that means, too, for our player development in terms of what we’re going to be able to do with those additional spaces, and the kind of kids we’re going to be able to attract as we look to build this thing out long term.”
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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
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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