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Major League Soccer coming to Atlanta

By on April 18, 2014

The MLS continues to expand and this time it’s heading to Atlanta…

Major League Soccer has awarded its 22nd franchise to Atlanta. The franchise, whose name and logo is yet to be determined, will be owned by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and will begin play in 2017 when their estimated $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium is scheduled to be completed.

Atlanta will join Orlando and South Florida – the former will begin play in 2015, the latter is still to be determined – in the MLS’ push to re-enter the Southeast after franchises in Tampa and Miami folded in 2001.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the league has “been trying to find ways Atlanta made sense” since he took the job in 1999, noting that the metro area has produced a number of MLS and national team players, including Clint Mathis and Ricardo Clark.

The issue seemed to be finding a proper venue, which was resolved in March 2013, when city leaders approved the contribution of $200 million from a hotel tax for the new stadium. Blank said capacity for the stadium will be 29,322, with “unique” technology to cover the upper deck and give the venue a more intimate feel.

Garber expects that Atlanta “…will be an epicenter for soccer in the Southeast.” This is most likely because of the large attendance numbers for international matches played in Atlanta recently – a Mexico v Nigeria friendly match drew a 68,212 strong crowd at the Georgia Dome last month. Another key reason for choosing Atlanta is because its Hispanic population has doubled in last decade. However, the biggest reason to believe that the MLS can succeed in this market is purely down to Blank’s involvement itself. It’s unlikely that such a reputable business man would risk his money without prior research.

Blank seems to be very pleased with his investment: “We respond to our fans and put a winning team on the field, give back to the communities, respond in any way we can to put on a great game-day experience,” Blank said. “We’re going to do the same things for soccer here in Atlanta. There’s nothing wrong with Atlanta fans. If we continue to do those things, we’ll keep the drums beating.”​

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