Atlanta United have bolstered their squad in the winter transfer window, meaning more expectations will be placed on the shoulders of head coach Gonzalo Pineda in the upcoming 2024 season.
Pineda is set to take charge for his third full season in Atlanta, and the club have worked in the offseason to give him a squad fully capable of challenging in all three competitions they’ll take part in — MLS, Leagues Cup and US Open Cup.
The Five Stripes haven’t really competed for silverware since 2019 when they lifted Campeones Cup, and for a club with a fanbase hungry for trophies, a lackluster 2024 season simply won’t be up to par. Many coaches are given two-to-three seasons to make their mark on a team after a few transfer windows completed, and 2024 will be a defining one for the former Seattle Sounders assistant.
Midfielder Thiago Almada remains a part of the Atlanta squad after the European winter transfer window closed. Not many were expecting that to happen, as Almada himself expressed a desire to leave Atlanta to join a European side before the start of the MLS season.
While some European sides were interested in him, it appears that there weren’t any formal offers brought to CEO and president Garth Lagerway’s desk. Almada is set to begin the first-half of the 2024 season with Atlanta after starring for the U23 Argentina national team at the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela.
Almada has been a hit after his record-breaking $16m transfer to Atlanta from Velez Sarsfield in the winter of 2022, and he’s bailed out Pineda plenty of times. It’s more a matter of when than if regarding Almada moving to Europe, so Pineda must take full advantage of the quality that the young midfielder has to propel Atlanta to new heights this season.
Atlanta are more than likely done making additions to the squad this transfer window, which has been touted as one of the Five Stripes’ best in their short history. Lagerway and technical director Carlos Bocanegra have reshaped the Atlanta squad and offloaded unwanted players, adding the likes of Bartosz Slisz, Stian Gregersen and Josh Cohen, who are all expected to compete for starting role this term.
Many argue that the current Atlanta squad is the most complete team at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since the 2018 campaign where they lifted MLS Cup in just their…
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