Brooks Lennon was ready for a change after three years at Real Salt Lake. He asked for a trade.
The versatile 22-year-old got his wish and described his new team, Atlanta United, as the ideal destination.
“I think it fits me perfectly,” he said. “The way the club plays. The style of play. The type of players they have. I think I will be very successful here.”
Atlanta United acquired Lennon in exchange for $300,000 in allocation money. Lennon flew into Atlanta on Monday, and Tuesday was his first at the team’s training facility in Marietta. Wednesday will be spent looking for a new home. Lennon, who once was a Liverpool player, described Atlanta United’s training ground and Mercedes-Benz Stadium as among the best in the world. He said he still talks with players in the Premier League who are impressed by the support the team receives.
Lennon said he believes he will be successful with Atlanta United because of his versatility. He can play right or left wingback, or right fullback, which is what he played mostly at Real Salt Lake. He said he will serve good balls to Josef Martinez, whom he described as one of the best strikers in MLS.
Atlanta United can play with three centerbacks, which allows for two wingbacks, or four in the back, which includes fullbacks. Lennon can slide into three of the four positions.
If he plays wingback, he said he hopes to post career-highs in goals and assists.
“I think I can do that here with the way Atlanta plays,” he said.
A knock against Lennon is his lack of impactful stats (goals, assists) at Real Salt Lake. He hasn’t scored since notching three goals in 2017. His career-high five assists came in 2018. In three years in Utah, he totaled 10 assists.
Lennon explained that he grew up playing as a winger. In his second season at Real Salt Lake, he was asked to play right fullback, which he said limited his opportunities for goals and assists. He was named the team’s defensive player of the year in 2018.
“It shows that people are looking at my work rate and the shifts I put in,” he said.
As a team, he hopes to help Atlanta United win the MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup and Champions League, a tournament he’s never before played. Lennon hopes that team success will help him become an All-Star and create a pathway to the U.S. men’s national team.
“I think regardless of where I play here, I’ll be successful because of guys around me,” he said.
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