Chris McCann had just celebrated an MLS Cup championship in early December, a title won in his second season in America and 21 months after Atlanta United’s birth as a soccer team.
The Irishman started 21 regular season matches in 2018 and entered the final against Portland moments before sold-out Mercedes-Benz Stadium erupted in championship joy.
But sports is a cold business, and so a few days after the trophy was lifted and the victory parade ended, McCann was told by the organization that it would look to move him. He was told there were salary-cap considerations and, the 31-year-old defender and midfielder said Thursday from his new home at Audi Field in Washington, “I am not getting any younger either.