ORLANDO, Fla. — Its season over because of Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Orlando in the MLS playoffs, Atlanta United will soon announce contract options on players for 2025.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Doug Roberson predicts which players President Garth Lagerwey, who is also serving as Technical Director, will keep and which he will release.
Player/2024 Base salary/2024 Guaranteed salary/contract ends/option years/2025 future
Alexey Miranchuk/$2,400,000/$3,685,441/NA/2027/2028/Keep
Stian Gregersen/1,000,000/1,120,000/NA/2027/2028/Keep
Saba Lobjanidze/900,000/998,750/ (1,152,000)/2026/None/Keep
Luis Abram/732,275/871,888/175,911/2025/2026/Keep
Bartosz Slisz/630,000/830,000/NA/2028/None/Keep
Santiago Sosa/685,000/778,100/85,0000/2024/2025/Keep but this one is a little bit tricky because Sosa is reportedly going to be purchased for $4 million by Racing, where he has been on loan. If Atlanta United doesn’t exercise the option, Racing could allow his contract with Atlanta United to expire and then sign him as a free agent. When Atlanta United loans players, the structure of the agreement typically includes easy-to-trigger purchase clauses. Sosa may have already triggered those.
Brooks Lennon/740,000/740,000/40,000/2025/2026/Keep but this one is tricky because Lennon recently underwent should surgery.
Franco Ibarra/600,000/660,000/40,000//2024/2025*/Cut because Ibarra is the same situation as Sosa but Rosario Central, where he is on loan, hasn’t indicated if options to buy have been triggered.
Brad Guzan/600,000/612,500/0/2024/2025/Keep. Guzan said on Sunday that he hopes to return for 2025. The club purchased Josh Cohen before the 2024 season but Guzan kept his starting job and played very well.
Xande Silva/560,000/604,250/79,750/2025/2026/Keep.
Jamal Thiare/500,000/595,000/ (477,679)/2024/2025/ Cut. Thiare showed value in the playoffs with two goals in the decisive third game against Inter Miami but his history of injuries, including one against Orlando that left interim Rob Valentino in a bind, make his salary tough to carry.
Tristan Muyumba/525,000/566,600/75,000/2026/2027/Keep.
Ronald Hernández/450,000/450,000/75,000/2024/2025/Cut. Hernandez has shown he is a capable backup but the team has Homegrowns coming up that will need playing time. Hernandez will likely be among those left exposed in the expansion draft.
Derrick Williams/400,000/447,500/NA/2025/2026/Keep.
Edwin Mosquera/400,000/437,000/25,000/2026/None/Keep.
Josh Cohen/265,000/303,500/NA/2025/2026/Keep.
Dax McCarty/225,000/256,250/NA/2024/2025/Cut. McCarty is retiring.
Pedro Amador/207,000/242,612/NA/2026/2027/Keep.
Tyler Wolff/150,000/154,500/30,000/2024/2025/Cut. Wolff needs playing time.
Daniel Rios/$89,716/126,383/NA/2024/None/His loan is ending.
Quentin Westberg/89,716/109,716/ (90,284)/2024/None/His contract is ending.
Efraín Morales/89,716/97,735/12,291/2024/2026/Keep.
Erik Centeno/89,716/96,492/17,356/2024/2026/Cut.
Noah Cobb/89,716/89,716/22,356/2026/2027/Keep.
Nic Firmino/71,401/71,401/NA/2024/2026/Cut.
Luke Brennan/71,401/71,401/NA/2027/2028/Keep.
Ajani Fortune/71,401/71,401/4,041/2024/2026. Keep. McCarty said on Sunday that Fortune was one of the team’s three best players by season’s end.
Adyn Torres/71,401,71,401/NA/2027/2028/Keep.
Matthew Edwards/71,401/71,401/NA/2025/2027/Keep.
Roberson predicts that Atlanta United won’t exercise the options on Sosa, Ibarra, Thiare, Hernandez, McCarty, Wolff, Firmino and Centeno.
The loan for Rios will expire.
Westberg’s contract is over.
The contracts are through Dec. 31.
The team will start 2025 with the following players still on its roster: Miranchuk, Gregersen, Lobjanidze, Abram, Slisz, Lennon, Guzan, Silva, Muyumba, Williams, Mosquera, Cohen, Amador, Morales, Cobb, Brennan, Fortune, Torres and Edwards. Adyn Torres will also join as a Homegrown. There will likely be at least one more Homegrown signing.
The team could lose one of those players in the expansion draft for San Diego. The draft is scheduled to be held on Dec. 11. The likely candidates to be left exposed are all of the players that Atlanta United will not exercise the options on and whose contracts have run out. Teams can protect as many as 12 players on their rosters. Homegrown players younger than 25 are protected. Roberson predicts Abram, Lennon, Silva, Muyumba, Mosquera and Williams will be among the remaining Atlanta United players who will be left exposed for selection by San Diego.
Atlanta United has two Designated Player slots as well as two Under-22 slots it can fill if Sosa and Ibarra are transferred or their options aren’t exercised.
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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
May 11 D.C. United 3, Atlanta United 2
May 15 Cincinnati 1, Atlanta United 0
May 18 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1
May 21 Atlanta United 0 (5), Charleston 0 (4) in U.S. Open Cup
May 25 LAFC 1, Atlanta United 0
May 29 Atlanta United 3, Miami 1
June 2 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 2
June 15 Atlanta United 2, Houston 2
June 19 Atlanta United 1, D.C. United 0
June 22 Atlanta United 1, St. Louis 1
June 29 Atlanta United 2, Toronto 1
July 3 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
July 6 Real Salt Lake 5, Atlanta United 2
July 9 vs. Indy Eleven 2, Atlanta United 1
July 13 Montreal 1, Atlanta United 0
July 17 Atlanta United 2, NYCFC 2
July 20 Atlanta United 2, Columbus 1
July 26 D.C. United 3 (6), Atlanta United 3 (5) in Leagues Cup
Aug. 4 Santos Laguna 0 (5), Atlanta United 0 (3) in Leagues Cup
Aug. 24 L.A. Galaxy 2, Atlanta United 0
Aug. 31 Atlanta United 1, Charlotte 0
Sept. 14 Nashville 2, Atlanta United 0
Sept. 18 Atlanta United 2, Inter Miami 2
Sept. 21 Atlanta United 2, Red Bulls 2
Sept. 28 Atlanta United 1, Philadelphia 1
Oct. 2 Montreal 2, Atlanta United 1
Oct. 5 Atlanta United 2, Red Bulls 1
Oct. 19 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 1
Oct. 22 Atlanta United 2 (5), Montreal 2 (4) in wild card round
Oct. 25 Inter Miami 2, Atlanta United 1 in playoffs, Game 1
Nov. 2 Atlanta United 2, Inter Miami 1 in playoffs, Game 2
Nov. 9 Atlanta United 3, Inter Miami 2 in playoffs, Game 3
Nov. 24 Orlando 1, Atlanta United 0 in Eastern Conference semifinals
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