Atlanta United 2026 Season Preview

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Hooligan Soccer

·23 January 2026

Atlanta United 2026 Season Preview

This article was written after recording The Designated Pundits‘ Atlanta United preview for the 2026 MLS Season with special guest Jason Longshore from “Soccer Down Here.” You can find that video on Spotify below.

2025 Recap

Atlanta United’s 2025 season was characterized by their lack of scoring, despite bringing in Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almíron. They spent nearly 30 million dollars in acquisitions, and finished with only 38 goals- 12th of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.

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Atlanta was equally as bad on defense, which we somewhat expected. Overall, they struggled and finished with only 5 wins in 34 matches.

Most pundits, myself included, believed that Atlanta’s offense would singlehandedly put them in a playoff spot. They weren’t just bad; they were unpredictably poor.

In the end, coach Ronny Deila was let go, and Atlanta is now set to reunite with their MLS Cup winning coach Tata Martino.

Latte Lath led scoring with 7 goals and 1 assists, followed by Miranchuk with 6 goals and 3 assists, and Miguel Almiron with 6 goals and 4 assists. However, for three designated players, a combined 19 goals and 8 assists just isn’t enough.

Transactions

Atlanta United declined the contracts of Brooks Lennon and Josh Cohen, and transferred both Noah Cobb and Bartosz Slisz. Incoming players include Thomas Jacob from Necaxa, homegrown winger Santiago Pita, and goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos.

Atlanta could be making more moves before the season begins, but I think they’re relying on a full offseason and coaching change to turn their three designated players into the stars that Atlanta thinks they are.

Depth Chart

While Tata Martino could come out with a 3/5 man backline, I currently don’t believe they have enough CB depth to run that formation for a full season. I think they’re going to play mostly in a 4-3-3.

Currently, the attacking 3 has only one player not yet mentioned, and that is Saba Lobjanidze. Saba is a winger I like; he is immensely talented and could play a huge role if this offense gets going.

In midfield, behind Miranchuk, we have Steven Alzate and Tristan Muyamba and projected starters. Alzate comes from Hull City, and previously played for Brighton and in Belgium. This midfield could hold the keys to success this season.

On the backline, we expect Atlanta to make some changes to improve those poor goals against numbers.

Questions

Which player outside the projected 11 has the best chance at winning a starting job? Thomas Jacob. He can play a bunch of positions and has a best-11 type upside.
What are realistic expectations for 2026? The team should be in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack, where there won’t be much separating 4th and 11th place.
What is a storyline to follow throughout the season? Do they look scrappy? They were missing fight in 2025- how do they get it back?
What styles do Atlanta match up well against? Hard to say with Tata as a new coach, but it should be against teams that can get caught in transition. Good passes forward from Miranchuk and Alzate could be lethal to teams who get caught out.
What styles will Atlanta struggle against? Teams that defend, sit back, or bunker.
Which player improves in 2026? Emmanuel Latte Lath. He should step up his production significantly.
Which player regresses in 2026? Almíron. He could contribute greatly to this team without appearing as much on the scoresheet.

Hear more, and follow along as I preview all 30 MLS teams before kickoff of the 2026 season!

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