Atlanta United’s Garth Lagerwey talks about changes to MLS franchise

He explained those moves, changes he’s made within the franchise to try to keep the players on the field, the path for the youth players, the Apple TV deal and U.S. Soccer possibly building a training site somewhere in Atlanta.

Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Some questions and answers have been moved around so that subject matters remain consistent.

Q: The roster is full. It’s mostly healthy for the first time in years. You’ve seen the team in the preseason, what are your expectations for the season?

A: Expectations are for a home playoff game. I think that’s within our grasp. We need to get back to consistently winning in the beginning of the season. We’ve had to reset some things. Obviously, you’ve seen us move a number of players out. We’ve talked already about the players that are coming in.

The reality though, is that (Derrick) Etienne, and (Giorgos) Giakoumakis, and (Luis) Abram have played very limited minutes in terms of being part of the group.

So as those guys integrate, as we get work permits first of all, and then they integrate, the team should get better every week for the first month or two of the season without doing anything else.

So we’re really happy about where we are in our progression that we’ve gotten all the transactions done before the season.

Would we have loved to have done it earlier? Sure. But given the amount that had to come out before we could bring anything in, I think we wound up in a pretty reasonable spot. And we’re very excited now about the season.

Q: In Seattle, obviously a lot of notable summer moves. Is there any flexibility still for a move (by Atlanta United) this summer?

A: Yeah, so the big, big difference structurally here from some stuff we’ve done in Seattle is we have a bunch of players out on loan here. So the significance of that is those players on loan could be sold. So that then builds in flexibility right there because if you are able to sell on those players, then potentially you could gain from the sale. So you could actually wind up with a big bucket of money in the summer.

So we have an international spot that’s been reserved for the summer, as well. So there is that possibility.

I want to be careful here. We want to give this team a chance to gel and to see where we are because we do believe that we’ve made some moves that are good long-term moves for the club. And we’ve reset the foundation of the club, and that’s why we’re excited about the season. So if we start making progress, what we don’t want to do is just revert back to chopping and changing and change in four or five players every window.

But that said, I believe we’re in a very good position such that if there is an opportunity in the summer, we’ll be able to take advantage of it.

Q: Are there triggers to some of those loans, like for example, Ezequiel Barco hit a trigger with River Plate, like maybe Moreno has a trigger with Coritiba?

A: There are triggers. I don’t want to get into specifics of who with what, but there are triggers. That’s not uncommon on loans. Some of them are easier to hit than others.

What I would say is we wouldn’t rely upon any of those to be hit by halfway through the season. Most of the times when you set triggers, they’re to do with a full season. So I wouldn’t count on any of that coming through for us.

But look, we believe that a number of those players on loan are pretty good players. And so if they play well, there’s going to be a market for them.

I know there’s like this mystique associated with me signing players in the summer. It’s just because that’s when the rest of the world buys and sells players, right? That’s, it’s the biggest marketplace.

Q: There were a lot of questions about the infrastructure at the club when you came in, analytics department, scouting. What have y’all done to kind of refresh that?

A: From a hard infrastructure perspective let’s be clear, this is the best, maybe in the world, between Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Children’s Healthcare out here in Marietta. So the infrastructure is amazing.

In terms of some of the soft infrastructure, yes, we’ve begun building that out. We’re closing in on a deal with an analytics consultant. As I told you earlier, we’re going to add a data engineer in that department. So really feel good about that. We’re going through a total review of all of our player-development systems right now, as well. And we’ll see that that stuff probably wouldn’t evolve until the summer. But I’m really excited about the direction we’re headed there.

And beyond that, I think we’ve really drilled down and organized our scouting in a way that’s pretty efficient. So feel good about the resources we have here in terms of going forward.

Q: What about sports medicine? Are there gonna be any changes to that, considering all the injuries last year?

A: No, but there are going to be changes. There have already been changes in terms of methodology. So with sports medicine, with performance, those guys are literally Ph.D.-level guys. And the thing that we have to do is listen to them.

So when you have the rash of injuries, some of it is luck. Sometimes older players are going to get hurt more than younger players. But I think we have to be mindful to still pay attention to periodization and the amount of strain we’re putting on our players. And if you get kind of an endemic set of injuries, you have to be evaluated on how you’re training and preparing the players. And to be fair, that started before I got here. The guys had pretty detailed answers for that and the things that they were going to tweak on that even before I arrived. So I feel good that we’re in a better position to learn a little bit from some of the things that happened last year.

Q: Is there an example you can give of a change?

A: I think whenever there’s an injury, there’s always this temptation to say, ‘Well, he got hurt because of this.’ Brad Guzan tore his Achilles for different reasons than Miles Robinson tore his Achilles. It’s a totally different profile player: late 30s versus mid 20s.

It’s tempting always to make a commonality. But I think that one of the problems you can run into is that if you generalize too much, you’re not being specific.

So the example I would give you just as we’re going back to, we have individual development plans for all the young players. And we have individual training plans for all the senior players. And we’re going to make sure that we take the time to accommodate all of those things so that we cater to give them the best possible chance of remaining on the field.

So you’ll see, for example, with somebody like Abram, who’s just played a couple of minutes, we are not going to panic and say he has to start opening day. He might, he might not. But we’re going to err on the side of trying to build these guys up and do so in a sustainable way so that once they get on the field, they can stay on the field. And we hopefully can lower that rate of recidivism on the injury front.

Q: Anything surprised you about the club?

A: I think that there’s been a real willingness to evolve and change. When you’re the new guy, when you come in, and my predecessor, Darren (Eales), is absolutely highly respected, held in very high regard, internally, externally. And he did things a certain way for eight years. And so there was some apprehension as to, you know, would folks want to go in a different direction?

And I think there’s been real enthusiasm and open-mindedness. And I’ve really appreciated that. In terms of the evolution of the club, for sure, we’re going to do some things differently. You guys will see that in your day to day as we go forward.

But I also feel like, it’s hardly like we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have some starting points. And some of the ones that we didn’t all agree with, we’ve now moved out. And so I feel really good about our foundation. And I do get excited when we talk about starting the season because what we do now is get these guys on the field, get them playing together. And I honestly think we’re just going to go up and up and up from here.

Q: Can you give an example of what you might have moved out?

A: I don’t want to act like any of those guys were bad players, or that they were bad attitudes or anything like that. It’s not the case.

But what you have to have is good efficient contracts.

And when you talk about doing things like Atlanta, talk about things like Atlanta being the hub of soccer in North America, the third kind of pillar, third leg of the stool, is making our investments in a strategic manner. I think Atlanta to some degree, because of the fan support, has had more resources than a lot of other teams. And I think there’s been an ability to solve things with money and to say, ‘Hey, if we want that, we go get it.‘

But what I’ve seen since I’ve been here is a more strategic approach to it. So you still have the same amount of resources. But if you can do it strategically, if you can do it methodically, if you can do it based off a good process, then those dollars are going to have more impact.

And I think that’s what we were working, what we have done already. And so with some of those contracts, again, not good or bad in terms of players’ personalities, but to move toward efficiency in terms of paying for premium positions, paying guys in the spine of the team, and then being efficient in our acquisitions of both as we go forward.

And in terms of our progressions, part of the reason to revamp player development is to look at how do we push these guys on rookie contracts forward in a way that allows us to spend more money on the marquee guys who are game-winners for us.

Q: What do you define as premium positions in MLS?

A: It’s the spine, by and large. Not that that’s overly simplified. But I mean, to state the obvious, if you look at any expected-goals model ever made, the guys that are closest to the goals have the biggest impact on the model, right? So your center forward and goalkeeper.

The way we built this team, the center forward is probably more of a compliment than the tip of the spear, so to speak, because of the investment in the midfield.

One of our biggest investments, is that right wing in Araujo and centrally with Almada. You have to look at what the analytics suggest. If these are your two investments, how do you complement those players to put them in a position to succeed because those are the guys that are going to drive us forward in terms being a contender.

Q: What do you think about the midfield?

A: I think the midfield as a group, we have a number of different talented players.

I mean, you saw young players like Ajani Fortune, who have had good debuts. I’m excited about what the future holds for him.

I think we have some other guys that are settling into their roles. It’ll obviously help us when (Santiago) Sosa’s available.

Are we a work in progress? Yeah. But are we moving forward? Is it getting better? It really is, again, only going to get better. And it’s only going to get deeper from our starting point now. So yeah, I think we’ve we handled the situations that were inefficient, and we put the other guys in a position to succeed. And now we just got to let that happen.

Q: Any Homegrown signings expected to go into effect? I assume Jan. 1 next year.

A: I do think we’ll sign some Homegrowns. But no, nothing that’s going to happen (before the season opener Saturday).

Q: MLS Next Pro, how is that going to help the franchise? Is there more freedom for the players to come back and forth between the senior team and MLS Next Pro, compared to when it was USL?

A: I recognize this is the first year in MLS Next Pro for Atlanta United. It’s four games that the guys can move in between teams.

But what we’re doing from, at the bottom we’re revamping the whole development process, but we’re really going to be focused around our 15s and 17s, our (Atlanta United) 2s and then our first team. That’s the progression; those are the tent-pole teams you’re going to have. Those are the age groups in which MLS has national leagues from a development standpoint.

So what the function of the 2s is going to be is to get minutes for the number of young players signed with the first team. So it’ll be those kids coming down to play. And it’ll be the kids pushing up from the 17s, kids signed to the 2s, that group.

So we’re really excited about the young group, broadly speaking. They’re going to get a ton of experience there. And then the best ones, we know we will be able to sign to the first team. So that’s the opportunity.

I think pulling them up for a game here, a game there, we’re worried less about that just because we have a number of young players signed already. So it’s not a bodies issue for us. It’s long term, how can we progress these kids in the best possible way for them? And for us?

Q: Can you just talk about the excitement to the regular season on Saturday?

A: Absolutely.

Just for me, coming kind of for the first time in the building for an opener ... you saw what it looked like on Wednesday (against Toluca), when we were kind of doing a dry run for everything. So I can only imagine what it’s going to feel like when it’s just packed to the rafters.

And our fan base has been so enthusiastic. At the block party last weekend, hordes of people coming ... and you could feel their energy and their enthusiasm for the start of the season.

I know things have been a little bit rough here over the last couple of years. If you look at some of the data, we led the league in shots, but we were one of the poorest teams in terms of goals. So you should see some direction to the mean, in terms of some of those data analytics. You should have fewer injuries this year as well, given the adjustments that were made.

So you’ve got a bunch of things that are kind of lingering in the background that started building and building, and we kind of have some positive momentum.

We believe in ourselves. We really feel like culturally, this is the best locker room we’ve had in a while. So I think there’s a number of positive things that feed into our enthusiasm for this season.

Q: What makes you feel that culturally this is better?

A: I think that we’ve gotten a bunch of good young players that have real opportunity to grow within the club.

And I think we have really good leaders in terms of the veteran guys who want to mentor these kids, who want to bring them along. If you look at the group cohesion, when you go to a preseason in Mexico like we did, one of the positives of that is it’s nice to have to spend a lot of time together. And so by all accounts, that was a really successful cultural move for us.

And then you look at game like Toluca in the AmFam Cup. We lost the game, it’s disappointing, but in the preseason you’re always focused on process, not on results. So, if you looked at, for example, integration between the young players and the older players, in that first half you had three, and at the end, four kids under 23 that were out there, and they looked like they belong, right? They looked like they were part of that cohesive whole.

And then in the second half, they took it to Toluca, right? And it was a real competitive game. So those things I look at and say, ‘Hey, culturally, it looks like we’re going the right direction. Because that group is cohesive, they today appear to believe in each other, and they appear to be supporting each other.’ And those are really important things.

Q: As we said a couple of minutes ago that things have been rough around the past couple of seasons, how imperative was it for you to be transparent as soon as you got here?

A: People say nice things to me, but I think they have to do that, right? You guys are all nodding nervously.

I’d like to think that I’ve earned the benefit of the doubt, in terms of my track record, my resume.

I just want us to be accessible.

We have a generational opportunity right now to build the audience for Atlanta United. We want to be the hub of soccer in North America. So whether that’s recruiting U.S. Soccer to move their home base here, but it’s also hosting games in (the English Premier League), potentially Copa America 2024, the club World Cup in 2025, the World Cup coming up in 2026.

So we want to be broadly accessible.

We want to look like Atlanta, we want to reflect the makeup, the diversity. ... If you look at the audience, we have, by demographics, the most diverse youngest audience of the major pro sports. So those are things that we really want to lean into. And transparency is part and parcel of that.

When you look at that younger generation, that more tech-savvy generation, what are they used to? They’re used to total access, right? Whether that’s in a locker room, whether that’s off the field. And you know, we tend to be in stuff like that.

That means we’re going to be criticized, or something’s wrong because we’re going to be more open, but I think that’s good for us. That helps us learn. We need to be confident enough in our process that I’ll look you in the eye and say we’re not gonna get everything right. And I hope you call us when we get stuff wrong. But I hope you also know when we do some things right, if we do that we’re transparent. I think what we’ll win more often than we won’t, and hopefully build on that so there is sustainable success over multiple years.

Q: Is the team being part of recruiting for the U.S. Soccer facility?

A: I’m talking about it every time I can. So, if you guys know anybody up in Chicago, tell them that they’re gonna be welcomed down here in the South.

Look, we are obviously having conversations, and it’s something that again, if we want to talk about how do we look like Atlanta? How do we serve our community long term? How do we get into some of these underprivileged communities and make them soccer fans?

We have this generational opportunity to build this fan base. There will never be more awareness for soccer than there is between now and 2026. And so this is the kind of thing where if U.S. Soccer relocates here, I think it makes a ton of sense, right? With the airport, the crown jewel of Atlanta, literally people come all over, the weather, it’s great down here.

When you talk about your men’s and women’s national teams are going to be based somewhat in Europe and someone in the U.S., right? Atlanta is a very central location, then, in addition to just having the airport in terms of flights from all over the world.

And so now if you get training fields that are set up in a block, it just it makes too much sense not to do it. So we are enthusiastically in favor of U.S. Soccer coming down here.

Q: How would you characterize those conversations? Is it just ‘Hey, we’d love to have you.’ or is it more specific? Is (team owner) Arthur Blank involved in these discussions?

A: (AMB Sports and Entertainment) is involved. And I don’t know that it comes down to one person. I’m not going to single-handedly woo U.S. Soccer down here, nor is anyone else.

But those conversations are happening on several levels. Obviously, I’ve been more of the public voice of it. But in private, we’re definitely pursuing that and pursuing it across multiple pathways.

And look, U.S. Soccer is itself in some upheaval right now. There’s been lots of coverage about that. So we certainly will work with them. And they’re going to make this decision about what’s best for them long term. But look, it’s certainly hopeful. And those conversations will be ongoing.

Q: Is there a timeline or deadline they’re trying to hit?

A: That’s their organization. So whether they have a timeline or not, I don’t know.

I’m sure I know there’s been a couple places reported in the media and positive (they are) looking at all their options, and not just the ones that have been reported. So it’s a broad process, and we’re willing to be patient, and again, I think this is very much part of the long-term plan of Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz (Stadium).

Somebody asked the infrastructure question; when you have Mercedes-Benz, and it’s one of the best stadiums in the world for any sport, you get to host all of these high-profile events. And again, that can be really really good for Atlanta United, right?

We haven’t talked about the Apple deal. What does the Apple deal do? It may be transformational for MLS. That’s our hope. We’ll see. But I have zero doubt that it is going to be amazing for Atlanta United because people are going to turn on the stream over the world, and they’re gonna see 50,000-plus in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on an off day. Again, one of the top 30 crowds in the world. And they’re going to say I want to come play here and take a peek. Google us online, you look at this training facility, I mean, the infrastructure here is amazing. This is a great place to play. It’s a great place to live. And we are going to get better just by virtue of being on Apple and being broadcast on this, the largest consumer electronics company in the world. And so we’re really excited about that.

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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule

Feb. 25 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m.

March 4 vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

March 11 at Charlotte FC, noon, Fox

March 18 vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.

March 25 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.

April 1 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

April 8 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.

April 15 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

April 23 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 4:30 p.m., FS1

April 29 at Nashville SC, 1:30 p.m., Fox

May 6 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.

May 13 vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.

May 17 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.

May 20 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.

May 27 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.

May 31 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m., FS1

June 3 at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.

June 10 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

June 21 vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.

June 24 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

July 2 vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 p.m., Fox

July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.

July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1

Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.

Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA