Alexey Miranchuk is a newcomer to Atlanta United! It’s a shame, of course, that there is one less Russian player in the top European leagues, but now there is a reason to follow MLS not only because of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. We are talking about our legionnaire’s new team.
Miranchuk’s agent told Championship about Atlanta United’s offer:
Exclusive
“We are unlikely to have such conditions in Europe.” Miranchuk’s agent revealed everything about the move to the United States
Which club did Miranchuk choose? Atlanta United has already won the MLS
Atlanta United is a young club, having been founded just 10 years ago. The primary colours are red and black. The club is run by 81-year-old American businessman Arthur Blank. He is also known as the owner of the Atlanta Falcons American football team and co-founder of The Home Depot, the world’s largest American retail chain selling building materials and repair tools. Over the years, Atlanta United’s value has increased significantly. In 2024, Forbes valued it at $900 million (second in MLS).
Miranchuk’s new team plays its home games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. By the way, the Falcons also play there. At football matches, the stadium usually seats 42,500 spectators, but if necessary, the number of seats in the stands is increased. Atlanta United consistently attracts sold-out crowds in the MLS. According to statistics, this is the most visited club in the league, so the Russian legionnaire will have someone to play with.
In MLS, the season is played according to the spring-fall system and ends with a playoff series. The championship participants are divided into two conferences: Eastern and Western. The first has 15 clubs, the second – 14. The best seven in each conference advance directly to the round of 16. But the teams that occupied the eighth and ninth places face each other.
Reaction to Miranchuk’s move to Atlanta United:
Officially
Alexey Miranchuk is in the United States! He is going there for football and must become the best version of himself.
The 2017 season was Atlanta United’s first in the MLS. The team performed quite well for a newcomer: they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. True, they were eliminated in the playoffs in the first round, losing on penalties to the Columbus Crew. And do you know who was in charge of Atlanta United back then? None other than Messi’s favorite coach Gerardo Martino, who now works with Leo at Inter Miami.
And the second season became the most successful in the history of Atlanta United. In the regular season, the team finished in second place in its conference, after which it defeated New York City (1-0 away and 3-1 at home), New York Red Bulls (3-0 at home and 0-1 away) and in the final “Portland Timbers” (2-0). Thus, in 2018, Atlanta United won its first and only championship title.
After winning gold, Martino joined the Mexican national team, and the team in the following seasons was led by Dutchman Frank de Boer, Argentine Gabriel Heinze and Mexican Gonzalo Pineda. In addition, local specialist Rob Valentino served as interim head coach. In the 2019 season, Atlanta United again finished second in the regular season, but did not make it to the playoff final. And then the results got worse: 12th place in the conference, fifth, 11th and sixth at the end of last season.
Who will Miranchuk play with at Atlanta United and who is his new coach?
Miranchuk has signed a contract with Atlanta United until the end of the 2027 season (actually, for three and a half years). The contract includes an option to extend it for one more season. According to Transfermarkt, the American club will pay the Italian club Atalanta 12 million euros for the Russian midfielder.
“We are delighted to sign a player of Alexey’s caliber, a player who plays in Europe’s top division,” said Carlos Bocanegra, Vice President and Technical Director of Atlanta United, commenting on Miranchuk’s transfer. “He is an attacking player who creates big chances and can score goals. Over the past four years, he has been a consistent performer in Italy’s Serie A and has made over 40 appearances in the Champions League and Europa League, as well as helping Atalanta win a major European tournament in the 2023/2024 season. We are delighted to add a player with such experience and a winning mentality to our team. We look forward to seeing him in Atlanta.”
Miranchuk’s transfer was one of the most expensive in Atlanta United’s history. Interestingly, the first major signing of this kind, in January 2018, was the signing of current Spartak player Ezequiel Barco, for whom, according to Transfermarkt, an amount equivalent to 12.2 million euros was paid, which at the time was an MLS record.
Another opinion on Miranchuk’s move to MLS:
Miranchuk is very close to moving to the United States. Why can we only be happy for him?
And the most expensive signings in Atlanta United’s history are the signings of two other Argentine midfielders, Pity Martinez from River Plate (January 2019) and Thiago Almada from Velez Sarsfield (February 2022). The latter won the 2022 World Cup with the Argentine national team and until July was still Atlanta United’s most expensive player with an estimated cost of 27 million euros, but three weeks ago Almada was sold to Brazilian side Botafogo for 19.5 million euros, making room for Miranchuk.
Now it is Alexey who is the leader of Atlanta United in terms of value. The top four also includes 25-year-old Polish defensive midfielder Bartosz Slisz (€5m), 29-year-old Georgian winger Saba Lobzhanidze and 29-year-old Peruvian central defender Luis Abram (both €3m).
Atlanta United is a multinational team made up of 16 foreign players from 15 countries. There are also players from the national teams of Norway and Trinidad and Tobago, and the youth teams of Colombia and Bolivia. And captain Brad Guzan, 39, previously played for the US national team, with which he made 64 appearances.
Saba Lobzhanidze
Photo: Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images
This season in the MLS, Atlanta United is in ninth place in its conference. The gap to the top seven is six points. The closest rival, Toronto, has two more points, but Atlanta United has one game in hand. As for the pursuers, a whole group of teams are one or two points behind Miranchuk’s new club. So the fight to reach the playoffs at the end of the season will be very tight.
There are no Atlanta United players on the list of top scorers and assists for the 2024 season. Lobzhanidze, Almada, who left the Club, and 29-year-old Mexican forward Daniel Ríos scored the most goals: six each. The leaders in assists are Lobzhanidze himself and 26-year-old midfielder Brooks Lennon (five each).
The club fired Pineda in June and reappointed 38-year-old Valentino as interim head coach. It is clear that his task is to hold on to the playoffs. Newcomer Miranchuk must help a relatively young specialist who has no experience in independent work (if not in the role of an actor) to succeed in this matter.
Rob Valentino
Photo: Zuma/TASS
“I consider the move to Atlanta to be a correct and smart move on the part of Alexei Miranchuk. Firstly, he will be one of the leaders in Atlanta, as he is one of the team’s designated players according to MLS rules. According to my information, Alexey is signing one of the largest contracts in the league. Secondly, in view of the 2026 World Cup, a lot of development, attention and investment is directed towards football in the United States, which creates a good environment for playing and living there. “Atlanta is one of the most developed clubs in the United States,” commented former Spartak and Lokomotiv director Thomas Zorn on Miranchuk’s transfer to the Championship.
