# 2017 Atlanta United FC season

The 2017 Atlanta United FC season was the first season of Atlanta United FC's existence, and the ninth year that a professional soccer club from Atlanta, Georgia competed in the top division of American soccer. Atlanta played at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first half of the season, then finished the season at the team's new stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, once it was completed in September. The team was coached by Gerardo "Tata" Martino. Outside of MLS, Atlanta United participated in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup and the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, as well as various preseason competitions.
Atlanta qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in their first season, becoming the third-ever MLS expansion club to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season, and the first since the Seattle Sounders FC did so in 2009. The team was eliminated from the playoffs in the opening round by the Columbus Crew, losing on penalty kicks.
2017 marked the first year since 1981 that a first division American soccer team played in Atlanta following the Atlanta Chiefs' dissolving. It was also the first time that soccer had been played at Bobby Dodd Stadium since 2001, when the Atlanta Beat called the stadium home during the 2001 WUSA season.

## Club

| Squad No. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | App | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Brad Guzan | GK | (1984-09-09) September 9, 1984 (age 40) | Middlesbrough | 15 | 0 |
| 25 | Alec Kann | GK | (1990-08-08) August 8, 1990 (age 34) | Sporting Kansas City | 20 | 0 |
| 32 | Kyle Reynish | GK | (1983-11-03) November 3, 1983 (age 41) | New York Red Bulls | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | Tyrone Mears | RB | (1983-02-18) February 18, 1983 (age 41) | Seattle Sounders FC | 22 | 1 |
| 3 | Michael Parkhurst (Captain) | CB | (1984-01-24) January 24, 1984 (age 40) | Columbus Crew | 34 | 0 |
| 4 | Greg Garza | LB | (1991-08-16) August 16, 1991 (age 33) | Tijuana | 26 | 2 |
| 5 | Leandro González Pírez | CB | (1992-02-26) February 26, 1992 (age 32) | Estudiantes | 34 | 1 |
| 6 | Miles Robinson (GA) | CB | (1997-03-14) March 14, 1997 (age 27) | Syracuse University | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Bobby Boswell | CB | (1983-03-15) March 15, 1983 (age 41) | D.C. United | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Mark Bloom | RB | (1987-11-25) November 25, 1987 (age 37) | Toronto | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | Mikey Ambrose | LB | (1993-10-05) October 5, 1993 (age 31) | Orlando City SC | 10 | 0 |
| 26 | Anton Walkes | CB | (1997-02-08) February 8, 1997 (age 27) | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 2 |
| 27 | Zach Loyd | CB | (1987-07-18) July 18, 1987 (age 37) | FC Dallas | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 8 | Kevin Kratz | CM | (1987-01-21) January 21, 1987 (age 38) | Philadelphia Union | 22 | 2 |
| 10 | Miguel Almirón (DP) | LW | (1994-02-10) February 10, 1994 (age 30) | Lanús | 32 | 9 |
| 11 | Yamil Asad | AM | (1994-07-27) July 27, 1994 (age 30) | Vélez Sarsfield | 33 | 7 |
| 13 | Harrison Heath | AM | (1996-03-06) March 6, 1996 (age 28) | Orlando City SC | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Carlos Carmona | CM | (1987-02-21) February 21, 1987 (age 37) | Atalanta | 33 | 2 |
| 15 | Héctor Villalba (DP) | RW | (1994-07-26) July 26, 1994 (age 30) | San Lorenzo | 35 | 13 |
| 16 | Chris McCann | DM | (1987-07-21) July 21, 1987 (age 37) | Wigan Athletic | 26 | 0 |
| 18 | Jeff Larentowicz (Vice Captain) | DM | (1983-08-05) August 5, 1983 (age 41) | LA Galaxy | 35 | 1 |
| 20 | Chris Goslin (HGP) | AM | (2000-05-12) May 12, 2000 (age 24) | Atlanta United Academy | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Julian Gressel | AM | (1993-12-16) December 16, 1993 (age 31) | Providence College | 35 | 5 |
| 28 | Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu | AM | (1994-11-30) November 30, 1994 (age 30) | Harvard University | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Jacob Peterson | RW | (1986-01-27) January 27, 1986 (age 38) | Sporting Kansas City | 11 | 3 |
| 30 | Andrew Carleton (HGP) | RW | (2000-06-22) June 22, 2000 (age 24) | Atlanta United Academy | 2 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 7 | Josef Martínez (DP) | ST | (1993-05-19) May 19, 1993 (age 31) | Torino | 22 | 20 |
| 9 | Kenwyne Jones | CF | (1984-10-05) October 5, 1984 (age 40) | Cardiff City | 17 | 2 |
| 19 | Brandon Vazquez | CF | (1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 26) | Tijuana | 15 | 3 |
| Players out on loan ||||||||
| 23 | Alexandros Tabakis | GK | (1992-12-08) December 8, 1992 (age 32) | Panathinaikos | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Jeffrey Otoo | FW | (1998-01-21) January 21, 1998 (age 27) | Charity Stars | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Romario Williams | CF | (1994-08-15) August 15, 1994 (age 30) | Montreal Impact | 0 | 0 |
* ↑ Tabakis was recalled from his loan to Charleston Battery for the club's October 3 match against Minnesota United FC as Brad Guzan was away on international duty for the United States and Alec Kann was injured. As Kyle Reynish received a red card against Minnesota and was suspended for the club's October 15 match against New York Red Bulls, Tabakis was recalled again to back up Guzan.

## Results
### Non-competitive

Win  Draw  Loss

#### Carolina Challenge Cup
### Competitive
#### Major League Soccer
##### League tables
###### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 69 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 55 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 55 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 54 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 50 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 7 | New England Revolution | 34 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 45 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 50 | 47 | +3 | 42 | |
| 9 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 39 | |
| 10 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 39 | 58 | −19 | 39 | |
| 11 | D.C. United | 34 | 9 | 20 | 5 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 32 | |

###### Overall

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 2 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 61 | 47 | +14 | 55 |
| 4 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 55 |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 54 |
| 6 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 53 |

##### 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 | H | A | H | A | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | H | H | H | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | W | D | D | L | W | L | L | D | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | D | D | L | D | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | L | D | D |

##### Matches

Win  Draw  Loss

#### MLS Cup Playoffs

Win  Draw  Loss

#### U.S. Open Cup

Win  Draw  Loss

## Statistics
### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Name | MLS | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | Josef Martínez | 19 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| 2 | MF | Héctor Villalba | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 3 | MF | Miguel Almirón | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | MF | Yamil Asad | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | MF | Julian Gressel | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | FW | Jacob Peterson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | FW | Brandon Vazquez | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | MF | Carlos Carmona | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | DF | Greg Garza | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | FW | Kenwyne Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Kratz | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | DF | Anton Walkes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | DF | Leandro González Pírez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | Jeff Larentowicz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | DF | Tyrone Mears | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 70 | 0 | 5 | 75 |

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Name | MLS | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | MLS Cup | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| 2 | DF | Tyrone Mears | 2 | | | | | | | | | 2 | | |
| 3 | DF | Michael Parkhurst | 4 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 4 | DF | Greg Garza | 2 | | | | | | | | | 2 | | |
| 5 | DF | Leandro González Pírez | 10 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | 11 | | 1 |
| 7 | FW | Josef Martínez | 4 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Kratz | 1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 10 | MF | Miguel Almirón | 4 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 11 | MF | Yamil Asad | 7 | | 1 | | | | | | | 7 | | 1 |
| 14 | MF | Carlos Carmona | 8 | | 1 | | | | | | | 8 | | 1 |
| 15 | MF | Héctor Villalba | 4 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 16 | MF | Chris McCann | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | |
| 18 | MF | Jeff Larentowicz | 6 | | | | | | 1 | | | 7 | | |
| 19 | FW | Brandon Vazquez | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 |
| 22 | DF | Mikey Ambrose | 1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 24 | MF | Julian Gressel | 4 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 25 | GK | Alec Kann | 3 | | | | | | | | | 3 | | |
| 26 | DF | Anton Walkes | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | 4 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 64 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 4 |

## Player movement
### In

Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Type | US | Fee/notes | Date |
| 23 | GK | Alex Tambakis | Panathinaikos | Transfer | US | Free | January 25, 2016 |
| — | MF | Junior Burgos | Atlanta Silverbacks | Transfer | US | Free | February 2, 2016 |
| 31 | FW | Jeffrey Otoo | Charity Stars | Transfer | Non-US | Undisclosed | June 1, 2016 |
| 30 | MF | Andrew Carleton | Atlanta United Academy | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | June 9, 2016 |
| 16 | MF | Chris McCann | Wigan Athletic | Transfer | Non-US | Free | June 26, 2016 |
| 9 | FW | Kenwyne Jones | Cardiff City | Transfer | Non-US | Free | July 15, 2016 |
| 15 | MF | Héctor Villalba | San Lorenzo | Transfer | Non-US | $2.5 Million (DP) | July 22, 2016 |
| 20 | MF | Chris Goslin | Atlanta United Academy | Transfer | US | Signed as a Homegrown Player (HGP) | October 6, 2016 |
| 19 | FW | Brandon Vazquez | Tijuana | Transfer | US | Undisclosed | December 2, 2016 |
| 10 | MF | Miguel Almirón | Lanús | Transfer | Non-US | $7.5 Million (DP) | December 5, 2016 |
| 8 | MF | Kevin Kratz | Philadelphia Union | Trade | Non-US | Received in exchange for 2020 fourth round draft pick | December 11, 2016 |
| 13 | MF | Harrison Heath | Orlando City SC | Trade | US | Received in exchange for 2019 fourth round draft pick | December 11, 2016 |
| 3 | DF | Michael Parkhurst | Columbus Crew | Trade | US | Received in exchange for GAM | December 11, 2016 |
| 33 | FW | Romario Williams | Montreal Impact | Trade | Non-US | Received in exchange for 2018 third round draft pick | December 11, 2016 |
| 27 | DF | Zach Loyd | FC Dallas | Expansion Draft | US | Free | December 13, 2016 |
| 22 | DF | Mikey Ambrose | Orlando City SC | Expansion Draft | US | Free | December 13, 2016 |
| 25 | GK | Alec Kann | Sporting Kansas City | Expansion Draft | US | Free | December 13, 2016 |
| 21 | DF | Mark Bloom | Toronto FC | Trade | US | Received along with GAM in exchange for Clint Irwin | December 13, 2016 |
| 18 | DF | Jeff Larentowicz | LA Galaxy | Transfer | US | Free | December 14, 2016 |
| 29 | MF | Jacob Peterson | Sporting Kansas City | Transfer | US | Free | December 21, 2016 |
| 6 | DF | Miles Robinson | Syracuse University | Draft | US | Free | January 13, 2017 |
| 24 | DF | Julian Gressel | Providence College | Draft | Non-US | Free | January 13, 2017 |
| 2 | DF | Tyrone Mears | Seattle Sounders FC | Trade | US | Received in exchange for GAM | January 24, 2017 |
| 5 | DF | Leandro González Pírez | Estudiantes | Transfer | Non-US | Undisclosed; Used TAM | January 26, 2017 |
| 1 | GK | Brad Guzan | Middlesbrough | Transfer | US | Free; Used TAM | January 26, 2017 |
| 14 | MF | Carlos Carmona | Atalanta | Transfer | Non-US | Free | February 6, 2017 |
| 28 | MF | Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu | Harvard University | Draft | US | Free | February 10, 2017 |
| 32 | GK | Kyle Reynish | New York Red Bulls | Trade | US | Received in exchange for 2018 fourth round draft pick | March 1, 2017 |
| 31 | ST | Bryan Róchez | Orlando City SC | Waivers | US | Free | March 17, 2017 |
| 7 | ST | Josef Martínez | Torino | Transfer | Non-US | $4.5 Million (DP) | March 21, 2017 |
| 12 | DF | Bobby Boswell | D.C. United | Trade | US | Received in exchange for 2019 third round draft pick | August 8, 2017 |

#### Draft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.
2017 Atlanta United SuperDraft Picks :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Status |
| 1 | 2 | Miles Robinson | DF | Syracuse | US |
| 1 | 8 | Julian Gressel | MF | Providence College | Non-US |
| 3 | 46 | Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu | MF | Harvard | US |
| 4 | 68 | Alex Kapp | GK | Creighton | US |

#### Loan in

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | US | Start | End |
| 4 | DF | Greg Garza | Tijuana | US | December 23, 2016 | December 31, 2017 |
| 11 | MF | Yamil Asad | Vélez Sarsfield | Non-US | January 12, 2017 | December 31, 2017 |
| 26 | MF | Anton Walkes | Tottenham Hotspur | Non-US | January 26, 2017 | December 31, 2017 |
| 7 | ST | Josef Martínez | Torino | Non-US | February 2, 2017 | March 20, 2017 |
| 33 | ST | Lagos Kunga | Charleston Battery | US | June 28, 2017 | July 2, 2017 |

### Out

Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Type | US | Fee/notes | Date |
| — | GK | Sean Johnson | New York City FC | Trade | US | Received GAM & TAM | December 11, 2016 |
| — | GK | Clint Irwin | Toronto FC | Trade | US | Received Mark Bloom & GAM | December 13, 2016 |
| — | DF | Donny Toia | Orlando City SC | Trade | US | Received Orlando's 2017 first round draft pick | December 13, 2016 |
| — | MF | Junior Burgos | Reno 1868 | Option Declined | US | Free | December 16, 2016 |
| 31 | FW | Bryan Róchez | Nacional | Waived | US | Free | August 22, 2017 |

#### Loan out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Start | End |
| 23 | GK | Alex Tambakis | Charleston Battery | January 26, 2016 | November 30, 2016 |
| 23 | GK | Alex Tambakis | Charleston Battery | May 24, 2017 | End of season |
| – | MF | Junior Burgos | Tampa Bay Rowdies | February 2, 2016 | November 30, 2016 |
| 31 | FW | Jeffrey Otoo | Charleston Battery | June 2, 2016 | November 30, 2016 |
| 31 | FW | Jeffrey Otoo | Charleston Battery | March 2, 2017 | End of season |
| 30 | MF | Andrew Carleton | Charleston Battery | July 13, 2016 | November 30, 2016 |
| 9 | FW | Kenwyne Jones | Central | June 24, 2016 | December 31, 2016 |
| 15 | MF | Héctor Villalba | Tijuana | July 29, 2016 | December 31, 2016 |
| 16 | MF | Chris McCann | Coventry City | August 2, 2016 | December 31, 2016 |
| 33 | FW | Romario Williams | Charleston Battery | March 2, 2017 | End of season |
| 13 | MF | Harrison Heath | Sacramento Republic | June 30, 2017 | July 31, 2017 |

### Non-player transfers

| Acquired | From | For |
| Discovery rights for Miguel Almirón | Seattle Sounders FC | $50,000 in GAM |
| Additional international roster slot – 2017 & 2018 | Colorado Rapids | 2017 second round draft pick |
| Discovery rights for Greg Garza | Columbus Crew | GAM |
| $75,000 in TAM | San Jose Earthquakes | Additional international roster slot – 2017 |
* 1 2 3 Acquired a green card during the 2017 season, qualifying him as a domestic player.
* ↑ Villalba was considered an Argentine for FIFA purposes during the 2017 season, before filing a one-time switch in 2018 to play for Paraguay, who he qualified to represent through his father.
* 1 2 Atlanta United activated the option in the loan contract with Torino to buy Martínez.
* ↑ On June 17, 2017 Kunga, then an Atlanta United Academy player, signed a Homegrown Player (HGP) contract with the senior team effective on January 1, 2018. On June 28, 2017 he signed with Atlanta United's USL affiliate Charleston Battery for the remainder of the season, and was subsequently loaned to Atlanta United on a Short Term Agreement for the club's U.S. Open Cup match against Miami FC later that day.

## Honors
### Weekly / Monthly
#### MLS player of the month

| Month | Player | Stats | Ref |
| March | Josef Martínez | 3 GP, 5 G | |
| September | Josef Martínez (2) | 7 GP, 9 G | |

#### MLS team / player / coach of the week

| Week | Team of the week | Team of the week | Player of the week | Coach of the week | Ref |
| Week | Starter | Bench | Player of the week | Coach of the week | Ref |
| 2 | Miguel Almirón Greg Garza Josef Martínez | | Josef Martínez | Gerardo Martino | |
| 3 | Greg Garza (2) Josef Martínez (2) | | | | |
| 6 | Héctor Villalba | Miguel Almirón (2) | | | |
| 8 | Miguel Almirón (3) | | | | |
| 11 | | Julian Gressel | | | |
| 12 | Miguel Almirón (4) | | Miguel Almirón | | |
| 13 | Miguel Almirón (5) | Leandro González Pírez Julian Gressel (2) | Miguel Almirón (2) | | |
| 16 | Miguel Almirón (6) | | | Gerardo Martino (2) | |
| 17 | | Leandro González Pírez (2) Josef Martínez (3) | | | |
| 18 | Michael Parkhurst | | | | |
| 19 | Josef Martínez (4) | | | | |
| 20 | Brad Guzan | | | | |
| 21 | | Héctor Villalba (2) | | | |
| 27 | Miguel Almirón (7) Leandro González Pírez (3) | | | | |
| 28 | Miguel Almirón (8) Josef Martínez (5) | Yamil Asad | Josef Martínez (2) | | |
| 29 | Yamil Asad (2) | Leandro González Pírez (4) Jeff Larentowicz | | | |
| 30 | Michael Parkhurst (2) | | | | |
| 31 | | Carlos Carmona | | | |
| 32 | Jeff Larentowicz (2) | Brad Guzan (2) | | | |

#### MLS goal / save of the week

| Week | Goal of the week | Save of the week |
| 3 | Josef Martínez | |
| 12 | Miguel Almirón | |
| 13 | Héctor Villalba | |
| 16 | Miguel Almirón (2) | |
| 27 | Greg Garza | |
| 28 | Kevin Kratz | |
| 32 | | Brad Guzan |
| 33 | | Brad Guzan (2) |

### Annual

| Honor | Player |
| MLS All-Star Game | Miguel Almirón Greg Garza Michael Parkhurst |
| MLS Best XI | Miguel Almirón Josef Martínez |
| MLS Rookie of the Year | Julian Gressel |
| MLS Newcomer of the Year | Miguel Almirón |
| MLS Goal of the Year | Héctor Villalba |
| MLS Save of the Year | Brad Guzan |