The Five Stripes have been busy in the winter transfer window, meaning a couple of new faces will eventually make their way into head coach Gonzalo Pineda’s starting lineup.
Although Atlanta returned to MLS Cup playoffs last year after a sixth place finish in the Eastern Conference, it simply wasn’t up to scratch with the ambitions of the 2018 MLS Cup winners who were dumbed out of the first round by Columbus Crew.
Atlanta is aiming for much more in 2024, as they’ve brought in six new signings thus far: goalkeeper Josh Cohen, center-backs Stian Gregersen and Derrick Williams, midfielders Bartosz Slisz and Dax McCarty and winger Xande Silva.
Here’s Atlanta United’s best possible lineup ahead of the 2024 season.
GK: Josh Cohen – Atlanta legend Brad Guzan is still on the roster and looks set to return for 2024, but when Cohen gets his chance in between the sticks, it’ll be his spot to lose.
RB: Brooks Lennon – He’ll look to build on his outstanding 2023 season where he notched 14 goal involvements to get himself back into the conversation for a USMNT call-up.
CB: Stian Gregersen – The Norway international has big shoes to fill after the departure of Miles Robinson, but the club signing him on a four-year deal says they have plenty of confidence in his ability.
CB: Luis Abram – It was a lackluster first season in MLS last year for Abram, but there’s a good chance we’ll see an improved version of the former Granada player with Gregersen next to him.
LB: Caleb Wiley – What can’t the youngster do? He’s taken up shifts as left-wing, left wing-back and left-back and looks set to continue his development in 2024 and beyond in Atlanta.
DM: Tristan Muyumba – Few players have joined a team mid-season and had the impact that Muyumba had last summer. Now, with Slisz in the middle of the park, Atlanta’s midfield is starting to look like one of the league’s best.
DM: Bartosz Slisz – Like Gregersen, it’s his first year in a new league that’s a long way from his native Poland. But once he gets settled in, he will be difficult for Pineda to drop outside of rotation reasons.
RW: Saba Lobjanidze – The Georgia international provided an instant impact after joining last summer like Muyumba, dazzling the Atlanta supporters with fancy footwork and even a backheeled effort to score his first goal for the club.
AM: Thiago Almada – This remains the biggest question mark on Atlanta’s lineup. Will he stay or will he go? Many find it hard to believe that Almada would depart Atlanta during the winter given the financial status of interested clubs, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t leave in the summer.
LW: Xande Silva – His electric play style gave defenders nightmares after joining last summer, which gave Garth Lagerway and co no other choice but to take up his buy option and make his loan move permanent.
ST: Giorgos Giakoumakis – He ended 2023 as one of the most efficient strikers in MLS, scoring 17 goals in under 1,800 minutes and will be eager to get back to finding the back of the net in the new season.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
90Mins
