Perhaps you’ve heard of Atlanta United. The club that expects close to 71,000 to turn up at Mercedez-Benz Stadium and is tearing up the Eastern Conference with a 12-4-4 record and 42 goals scored in 20 matches played. Despite the numbers, Seattle Sounders seemed unfazed by the new hot MLS property on the block as they prepared to travel to Georgia for the first time in league play.
Backed by billionaire Arthur Blank, who also owns the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, United has made several head-spinning signings in their first two years of play, paying out multi-million dollar transfer fees to bring in stars like Miguel Almiron (8 goals, 9 assists), Ezequiel Barco (4 goals, 1 assist) and Josef Martinez, whose 18 goals are more than the entire Sounders’ attack combined through the first half of the season.