# 2021 Atlanta United FC season

The 2021 Atlanta United FC season was the fifth season of Atlanta United FC's existence, and the thirteenth year that a professional soccer club from Atlanta, Georgia competing in the top division of American soccer. Atlanta United played their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Due to the cancelation of the 2020 U.S. Open Cup, Atlanta competed in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League as the final berth was given to the defending champions of the U.S. Open Cup.

## Club

| Squad no. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Brad Guzan (C) | GK | (1984-09-09) September 9, 1984 (age 40) | Middlesbrough | 158 | 0 |
| 18 | Ben Lundgaard | GK | (1995-09-25) September 25, 1995 (age 29) | Atlanta United 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Alec Kann | GK | (1990-08-08) August 8, 1990 (age 34) | Sporting Kansas City | 30 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | Ronald Hernández | RB | (1997-09-21) September 21, 1997 (age 27) | Aberdeen | 13 | 1 |
| 3 | Alex DeJohn | CB | (1991-05-10) May 10, 1991 (age 33) | Orlando City SC | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Anton Walkes | RB | (1997-02-08) February 8, 1997 (age 27) | Portsmouth | 79 | 4 |
| 6 | Alan Franco | CB | (1996-10-11) October 11, 1996 (age 28) | Independiente | 27 | 0 |
| 11 | Brooks Lennon | RB | (1997-09-22) September 22, 1997 (age 27) | Real Salt Lake | 62 | 2 |
| 12 | Miles Robinson (GA) | CB | (1997-03-14) March 14, 1997 (age 27) | Syracuse University | 108 | 2 |
| 21 | George Bello (HGP) | LB | (2002-01-22) January 22, 2002 (age 22) | Atlanta United Academy | 59 | 3 |
| 24 | Josh Bauer | CB | (1998-07-22) July 22, 1998 (age 26) | Birmingham Legion | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Bryce Washington (HGP) | CB | (1998-09-12) September 12, 1998 (age 26) | University of Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | George Campbell (HGP) | CB | (2001-06-22) June 22, 2001 (age 23) | Atlanta United Academy | 17 | 1 |
| 33 | Mikey Ambrose | LB | (1993-10-05) October 5, 1993 (age 31) | Inter Miami CF | 31 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 5 | Santiago Sosa | DM | (1999-05-03) May 3, 1999 (age 25) | River Plate | 30 | 1 |
| 8 | Ezequiel Barco (DP) | AM | (1999-03-23) March 23, 1999 (age 25) | Independiente | 107 | 19 |
| 9 | Matheus Rossetto | AM | (1996-06-03) June 3, 1996 (age 28) | Athletico Paranaense | 39 | 0 |
| 10 | Marcelino Moreno | CM | (1994-06-25) June 25, 1994 (age 30) | Lanús | 43 | 11 |
| 13 | Amar Sejdič | CM | (1996-11-29) November 29, 1996 (age 27) | CF Montréal | 10 | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Ibarra | DM | (2001-04-28) April 28, 2001 (age 23) | Argentinos Juniors | 19 | 0 |
| 19 | Luiz Araújo (DP) | RW | (1996-06-02) June 2, 1996 (age 28) | Lille | 16 | 4 |
| 20 | Emerson Hyndman | CM | (1996-04-07) April 7, 1996 (age 28) | AFC Bournemouth | 56 | 6 |
| 22 | Jürgen Damm | RW | (1992-11-07) November 7, 1992 (age 32) | UANL | 27 | 1 |
| 23 | Jake Mulraney | AM | (1996-04-05) April 5, 1996 (age 28) | Hearts | 47 | 2 |
| 28 | Tyler Wolff (HGP) | RW | (2003-02-13) February 13, 2003 (age 21) | Atlanta United Academy | 12 | 0 |
| 29 | Mo Adams (GA) | CM | (1996-09-23) September 23, 1996 (age 28) | Chicago Fire FC | 28 | 1 |
| 30 | Machop Chol (HGP) | RW | (1998-11-14) November 14, 1998 (age 25) | Wake Forest University | 9 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 7 | Josef Martínez (DP) | CF | (1993-05-19) May 19, 1993 (age 31) | Torino | 132 | 102 |
| 16 | Erik López | CF | (2001-11-27) November 27, 2001 (age 22) | Olimpia | 20 | 1 |
| 31 | Erick Torres | CF | (1993-01-19) January 19, 1993 (age 31) | Tijuana | 36 | 1 |
| 36 | Jackson Conway (HGP) | CF | (2001-12-03) December 3, 2001 (age 22) | Atlanta United 2 | 9 | 2 |

### International roster slots

Atlanta currently has ten International Roster Slots for use in the 2021 season. Matheus Rossetto obtained a green card in April 2021 to qualify as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
Atlanta United International Roster Slots :
| Slot | Player | Country |
| 1 | Luiz Araújo | Brazil |
| 2 | Jürgen Damm | Mexico |
| 3 | Alan Franco | Argentina |
| 4 | Ronald Hernández | Venezuela |
| 5 | Franco Ibarra | Argentina |
| 6 | Erik López | Paraguay |
| 7 | Marcelino Moreno | Argentina |
| 8 | Jake Mulraney | Ireland |
| 9 | Santiago Sosa | Argentina |
| 10 | Anton Walkes | England |

## Results
### Non-competitive

Win  Draw  Loss

#### Friendlies
### Major League Soccer
#### League tables
##### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 3 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 4 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round and CONCACAF Champions League |
| 5 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 6 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 51 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 7 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 48 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions

##### Overall

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 7 | Nashville SC | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 54 | |
| 8 | New York City FC (C) | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 51 | Qualification for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | |
| 10 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 51 | |
| 11 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 49 | |
* ↑ As MLS Cup 2021 champions (USA1)

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Match reports

##### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A |
| Result | D | W | L | D | W | D | D | D | L | D | L | D | L | D | L | L | D | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | L | W | D | W | D | D | W |
| Position (conf.) | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 5 |
| Position (league) | 10 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 16 | | | | | | | | | | 9 |

#### Regular season

Win  Draw  Loss

### CONCACAF Champions League
#### Round of 16
#### Quarter-finals
## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of November 21, 2021
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup Playoffs | MLS Cup Playoffs | Champions League | Champions League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Brad Guzan | 33 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | USA | Ben Lundgaard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | USA | Alec Kann | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | GK | ARG | Rocco Ríos Novo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | VEN | Ronald Hernández | 13 | 1 | 8+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Alex DeJohn | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Anton Walkes | 36 | 2 | 32+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ARG | Alan Franco | 27 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | USA | Brooks Lennon | 36 | 0 | 30+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Miles Robinson | 31 | 1 | 25+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | USA | George Bello | 34 | 1 | 26+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | USA | George Campbell | 16 | 1 | 6+9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | USA | Mikey Ambrose | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 5 | MF | ARG | Santiago Sosa | 30 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | ARG | Ezequiel Barco | 29 | 8 | 23+2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | MF | BRA | Matheus Rossetto | 22 | 0 | 15+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ARG | Marcelino Moreno | 36 | 9 | 30+2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Amar Sejdič | 10 | 0 | 5+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ARG | Franco Ibarra | 19 | 0 | 9+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | BRA | Luiz Araújo | 16 | 4 | 14+1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | Emerson Hyndman | 11 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | MEX | Jürgen Damm | 13 | 1 | 1+9 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 23 | MF | IRL | Jake Mulraney | 26 | 1 | 13+9 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | USA | Tyler Wolff | 7 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Mo Adams | 6 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | SSD | Machop Chol | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | VEN | Josef Martínez | 29 | 12 | 18+6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | PAR | Erik López | 19 | 1 | 10+8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | MEX | Erick Torres | 22 | 0 | 7+13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | USA | Jackson Conway | 8 | 1 | 2+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who have played for Atlanta United this season but have left the club: ||||||||||||
| 15 | FW | ARG | Lisandro López | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Jack Gurr | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Top scorers

    As of December 30, 2021
| Place | Position | Name | MLS | Playoffs | Champions League | Total |
| 1 | FW | Josef Martínez | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | MF | Marcelino Moreno | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | MF | Ezequiel Barco | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | MF | Luiz Araújo | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | DF | Anton Walkes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | DF | George Bello | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | George Campbell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | FW | Jackson Conway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Jürgen Damm | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | Ronald Hernández | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Emerson Hyndman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | FW | Erik López | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Jake Mulraney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | Miles Robinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Santiago Sosa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 45 | 0 | 3 | 48 |

## Player movement
### In

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Type | US | Fee/notes | Date |
| 24 | FW | JJ Williams | Birmingham Legion | Loan return | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 30 | MF | Andrew Carleton | Indy Eleven | Loan return | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| — | MF | Lagos Kunga | Phoenix Rising | Loan return | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 36 | FW | Jackson Conway | Atlanta United 2 | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | December 3, 2020 |
| 33 | DF | Mikey Ambrose | Inter Miami CF | Transfer | US | Free | December 22, 2020 |
| 35 | DF | Efrain Morales | Atlanta United Academy | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | January 1, 2021 |
| 16 | FW | Erik López | Atlanta United 2 | Transfer | Non-US | Free | January 1, 2021 |
| 30 | MF | Machop Chol | Wake Forest University | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | January 19, 2021 |
| 15 | FW | Lisandro López | Racing Club | Transfer | Non-US | Free | January 25, 2021 |
| 5 | MF | Santiago Sosa | River Plate | Transfer | Non-US | Undisclosed | February 12, 2021 |
| 14 | MF | Franco Ibarra | Argentinos Juniors | Transfer | Non-US | Undisclosed | February 22, 2021 |
| 18 | GK | Ben Lundgaard | Atlanta United 2 | Transfer | US | Free | March 4, 2021 |
| — | DF | Andrew Gutman | Celtic | Transfer | US | Undisclosed | March 9, 2021 |
| 3 | DF | Alex DeJohn | Orlando City SC | Transfer | US | Free | March 12, 2021 |
| 26 | DF | Jack Gurr | Atlanta United 2 | Transfer | US | Free | April 5, 2021 |
| 6 | DF | Alan Franco | Independiente | Transfer | Non-US | $2.8 Million (DP) | April 8, 2021 |
| 24 | DF | Josh Bauer | Birmingham Legion | Transfer | US | Draft Pick | April 15, 2021 |
| 27 | DF | Bryce Washington | University of Pittsburgh | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | June 4, 2021 |
| 13 | MF | Amar Sejdič | CF Montréal | Trade | US | $100K GAM | July 6, 2021 |
| 19 | MF | Luiz Araújo | Lille | Transfer | Non-US | $12 Million (DP) | August 5, 2021 |
* ↑ López signed with Atlanta United 2 in July 2020 from Paraguayan club Olimpia for $1.1 million before joining the senior team roster in 2021.
* ↑ Atlanta United acquired Gutman's MLS rights via the 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

#### Loan in

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned From | US | Start | End |
| 2 | DF | Ronald Hernández | Aberdeen | Non-US | February 18, 2021 | End of Season |
| 34 | GK | Rocco Ríos Novo | Atlanta United 2 | US | April 5, 2021 | April 9, 2021 |
| 34 | GK | Rocco Ríos Novo | Atlanta United 2 | US | April 13, 2021 | April 17, 2021 |

#### SuperDraft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2021 MLS SuperDraft are listed in the notes. Atlanta have three selections in the draft.
2021 Atlanta United SuperDraft Picks :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Status |
| 2 | 31 | Josh Bauer | DF | New Hampshire | US |
| 3 | 59 | Aiden McFadden | MF | Notre Dame | US |
* ↑ Atlanta United traded the No. 5 and No. 32 overall picks to D.C. United in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and the 31st overall pick.

### Out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Type | US | Fee/notes | Date |
| 13 | GK | Brendan Moore | Free agent | Option Declined | US | Free | November 24, 2020 |
| 18 | MF | Jeff Larentowicz | Retired | Out of Contract | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 19 | DF | Edgar Castillo | FC Cincinnati | Option Declined | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 24 | FW | JJ Williams | Birmingham Legion | Option Declined | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 27 | MF | Laurence Wyke | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Option Declined | Non-US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 30 | MF | Andrew Carleton | Free agent | Option Declined | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| — | MF | Lagos Kunga | Free agent | Option Declined | US | Free | November 30, 2020 |
| 26 | MF | Jon Gallagher | Austin FC | Trade | US | $225K GAM | December 13, 2020 |
| 15 | MF | Manuel Castro | Estudiantes | Loan return | Non-US | Free | January 1, 2021 |
| 14 | MF | Adam Jahn | Orange County SC | Waived | US | Free | February 2, 2021 |
| 5 | MF | Eric Remedi | San Jose Earthquakes | Trade | US | $500K GAM | February 15, 2021 |
| 15 | FW | Lisandro López | Racing Club | Released | Non-US | Free | May 18, 2021 |
| 26 | DF | Jack Gurr | Aberdeen | Waived | US | Free | May 28, 2021 |
| — | DF | Fernando Meza | Necaxa | Contract Terminated | Non-US | Free | July 23, 2021 |

### Loan Out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Start | End |
| 2 | DF | Franco Escobar | Newell's Old Boys | February 9, 2021 | December 31, 2021 |
| 6 | DF | Fernando Meza | Defensa y Justicia | February 18, 2021 | June 30, 2021 |
| — | DF | Andrew Gutman | New York Red Bulls | March 9, 2021 | December 31, 2021 |
| 35 | DF | Efrain Morales | Atlanta United 2 | April 16, 2021 | December 31, 2021 |

### Non-player transfers

| Acquired | From | For |
| 2021 international roster spot | Nashville SC | $175K GAM |
| #1 pick in 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft | FC Cincinnati | $75K GAM and #4 pick in 2020 Re-Entry Draft |
| $125K GAM & No. 31 overall pick in SuperDraft | D.C. United | No. 5 and No. 32 overall picks in SuperDraft |
| 2021 international roster spot | Colorado Rapids | $225K GAM in 2022 |