Josef Martinez Inaugural Goal

Lore & Background

Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began play as an MLS expansion team in 2017, as the 22nd team in the league. It is the first MLS franchise to be based in Atlanta, and the club plays home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which they share with the city's National Football League (NFL) franchise, the Atlanta Falcons. The club is operated by Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons and co-founder of the Home Depot. The club also owns Atlanta United 2, a reserve team that competes in MLS Next Pro. Gerardo Martino was appointed as the club's first head coach and guided Atlanta to their first playoff appearance in the team's debut season, before securing the team's first trophy in just their second season by winning MLS Cup 2018. After a series of declining seasons under other managers, Martino returned before the 2026 season to coach the team. Atlanta has set several league records for highest single-match and average attendance. In 2026, Forbes estimated the club was the fourth most valuable in the league, worth approximately $1 billion.

In Their Own Story

The roar of the crowd was deafening, a physical force vibrating through the grass of the brand-new pitch. Josef Martinez stood in the center circle, the red and black jersey feeling heavy with expectation rather than fabric. As the whistle blew, signaling the start of Atlanta United's existence in MLS, the world seemed to hold its breath. Minutes later, chaos erupted around him. A pass found his feet near the edge of the box; he didn't hesitate. With a motion as natural as breathing, he drove the ball past the keeper. The net bulged, and the stadium exploded. In that split second, Martinez wasn't just a player; he was the architect of a new legacy.

Reader's Guide

Atlanta United's first regular season MLS game was played on March 5, 2017, at Bobby Dodd Stadium with 55,297 in attendance. Yamil Asad scored the first goal in team history in a 2–1 loss to New York Red Bulls. A week later, the team registered its first win with a 6–1 away defeat of fellow expansion team Minnesota United FC. On March 18, 2017, the team registered its first win at home, beating Chicago Fire, who went down to ten men in the eleventh minute, 4–0 in front of a sold-out Bobby Dodd Stadium. Following its move to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the team continued leading the league in attendance and averaged more than 48,000 in its home league matches, breaking records for attendance for a non-doubleheader MLS game and average single-season attendance for a U.S. soccer team. Atlanta clinched a berth in the playoffs, becoming the third MLS expansion team to do so in their inaugural season, by finishing tied for third place in the Eastern Conference; due to tiebreaking rules Atlanta was seeded fourth. In its first playoff game, the team faced Columbus Crew and set a then-MLS attendance record for a playoff game with 67,221 spectators in attendance. After 120 minutes of scoreless action, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out, which Columbus won 3–1 to eliminate Atlanta.

Did You Know?

• Atlanta United's first goal in team history was scored by Yamil Asad in a 2–1 loss to New York Red Bulls on March 5, 2017.
• Atlanta United became the third MLS expansion team to clinch a playoff berth in their inaugural season.
• The club's first trophy was MLS Cup 2018, won in their second season under head coach Gerardo Martino.
• Josef Martínez was named league MVP in 2018, the same year Atlanta won the MLS Cup.