While Atlanta United’s 2024 season was an overall let down for fans as they finished 10-10-14, their late rally to reach the playoffs and pick up arguably one of the biggest upset wins in MLS history, seemed to reignite energy within the fanbase and give some optimism. However, the struggles of the club throughout the season had already planted the seed for change and now United will look to live up to high expectations.
“That was an appropriate story based on our season and knocking off the number one seed in the greatest upset by point differential in MLS history, but that’s definitely not where we wanted to be,” Atlanta United President and CEO, Garth Lagerwey said on Thursday as he joined Steak Shapiro and Rusty Mansell on the Steakhouse to preview the upcoming season and reflect on last year’s end, which he described as “patly ridiculous” as United found themselves in a “Cinderella” storyline.
“So, it wasn’t really a debate that we needed to keep moving forward,” Lagerwey said, noting United was able to walk away from last season with “some positives” which have carried over into this season. “The locker room and the core group of guys, they do believe in themselves and we’ve been able to add a couple of pieces around them now and feel like we’re in a better spot to move forward,” Lagerwey added.