November 22, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Atlanta United FC News Release
ATLANTA – Atlanta United FC today announced Garth Lagerwey has been named president and chief executive officer. Lagerwey, most-recently general manager and president of soccer of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders, has signed a multi-year contract and will assume leadership of Atlanta United, Atlanta United 2 and the Atlanta United Academy effective today.
Lagerwey comes to Atlanta after a very successful run in Seattle where he led the Sounders to the 2022 Concacaf Champions League title earlier this year, as well as MLS Cup championships in 2019 and 2016 and made the MLS Cup final on two other occasions. His Sounders team also reached the Leagues Cup Final in 2021.
Before his move to Seattle, Lagerwey served as general manager and senior vice president of soccer operations for MLS’s Real Salt Lake, guiding the team to its lone MLS title in 2009 and one other appearance in the MLS Cup final. His Salt Lake teams also reached the US Open Cup final in 2013 and in 2011 RSL became the first MLS team to reach the Concacaf Champions League Final.
After graduating from Duke University in 1994, Lagerwey played five seasons as a goalkeeper in MLS with the Kansas City Wizards, Dallas Burn and Miami Fusion. He then went on to earn his juris doctorate from Georgetown School of Law in 2004.
“Our foundational goal from day one in Major League Soccer has been for Atlanta United to be a contender for MLS Cup each year, so we set out to find a leader with deep knowledge and experience in the league and a proven track record of success,” said AMBSE CEO, Steve Cannon. “We have certainly found that leader in Garth Lagerwey and could not be more thrilled to have him take the reins of our team. His body of work in Seattle and Salt Lake City speaks for itself. His experience as a player in the league and time as an executive who has developed a keen understanding of both the soccer and business sides of running an organization made him the perfect fit as we move forward with Atlanta United.”
On the strength of Seattle winning the Concacaf Champions League, Lagerwey was selected as Best Executive at the 2022 World Football Summit. He was named MLS’s Sporting Executive of the Year at the conclusion of Seattle’s 2019 MLS Cup championship season and has served as co-chair of the MLS Chief Soccer Officer Committee since 2018. The academies he’s overseen in Seattle and Salt Lake have won multiple…
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