Editor’s Note: MLS Footnotes takes you inside the key speaking factors across the league and throughout American soccer.
Despite working for the one Major League Soccer membership that enables followers to vote out its basic supervisor, Garth Lagerwey in all probability had essentially the most safe entrance workplace job in MLS.
The architect of a Seattle squad reached 4 MLS Cup finals between 2016 and 2019, successful two and have become the primary MLS membership in over 20 years to beat a Mexican membership to the CONCACAF title final spring, Lagerwey – the league’s most profitable govt – wasn’t at risk of being ousted within the Sounders’ subsequent quadrennial election.
Yet when Atlanta United got here calling final yr, the 50-year-old could not resist. Asked to return a staff that had taken MLS by storm when it entered the league in 2017 to a championship observe, Lagerwey packed up his younger household and moved throughout the continent to turn into Atlanta’s new president and CEO.
“In MLS, you don’t want Seattle to be your biggest market because that means you’re missing out on bigger cities,” Lagerwey advised FOX Sports forward of Saturday’s match between the Five Stripes and southeast rival Charlotte (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
“Atlanta is bigger than Seattle. Bigger fan base, bigger corporate base for sponsors, bigger potential. I want to lead MLS and drive this league forward. There’s more potential to do that in Atlanta than Seattle — and that’s not a knock in any way on Seattle.”
Still, in a wage cap league designed to make sure parity, sustaining success is not straightforward for any membership. Deep pockets solely go to date. Atlanta supporters know that now. After successful the MLS Cup only a yr after their ballyhooed growth marketing campaign, United fell again to earth, burning by two high-profile international and coaches lacking the playoffs in two of the final three seasons. They have not hosted or received a postseason match since 2019.
Atlanta is unbeaten to begin this yr, although. Now in his second full season on the sidelines, Gonzalo Pineda’s staff erased a deficit in every of its first two video games, a dramatic opening day win over San Jose in entrance of virtually 68,000 followers and a 1-1 tie with Toronto in Week 2.
They have a extra balanced roster in 2023, with winter acquisitions Derick Etienne and Giorgos Giakoumakis particularly focused to enhance star Argentinean playmaker Thiago Almada, who in December turned the primary lively MLS participant to win the World Cup.
They’re additionally extra cohesive off the sector. Unlike in Seattle and at Real Salt Lake earlier than that, Lagerwey additionally runs the enterprise facet of issues for United. That alternative sealed the deal.
“I’d done the same job for 15 years and didn’t have influence over the company strategy,” he mentioned. “That was clearly an area where I thought you could build a better club if you had unity across business and soccer.”
Atlanta owed a lot its preliminary success to South American recruits like Miguel Almirón and confirmed MLS vets resembling Michael Parkhurst, however laborious time changing them once they left. The membership drafted U.S. nationwide staff middle again Miles Robinson and produced homegrown gamers in George Bello and Caleb Wiley, however Lagerwey rapidly recognized participant growth as an space the place the group can enhance.
“I would like the following Kyle Pitts to play soccer,” Lagerwey mentioned of the Atlanta Falcons’ star tight finish. “You have this enormous, athletic talent pool in Atlanta and I think we can tap into that,” he mentioned.
The instruments to take action are already there.
“Analytics, scouting, performance – a lot of the pieces are in place,” Lagerwey added. “It’s about aligning them, getting them all going in the same direction. If we make the right investments, we should be successful over time.
“I need to make our success inevitable.”
If Lagerwey’s observe document is any information, they are going to be.
MLS FOOTNOTES
1. Leagues Cup slate drops
While Atlanta has the humble goal of hosting a playoff game this fall, Lagerwey’s overall ambitions for the club are far loftier. He wants to win the CONCACAF Champions League in time to host the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which could be held in the North America that summer. And he is still hoping there’s a chance that the World Cup ultimate may very well be staged in Georgia’s capital the next yr.
“We have the very best soccer stadium on this planet, arguably,” he said of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “We need to host any sport that FIFA will give us.”
The first chance to qualify for the 2024 Champions League comes this summer during the Leagues Cup. On Thursday MLS and Liga MX dropped the schedule for the month long, 47-team, World Cup-style competition pitting North America’s top two circuits. Lagerwey believes that the tournament’s format could intrigue both diehard and mainstream fans.
“Meaningful video games towards your arch rival — that performs in American sports activities,” he mentioned.
2. Charlotte’s hornet’s nest
Despite not making the playoffs in its maiden season in 2022, Charlotte outperformed preseason expectations by finishing ahead of Atlanta, New England, Chicago, Toronto and D.C. United within the Eastern Conference.
A sophomore slump seems to have hit so far in Year Two. Charlotte heads into Saturday’s contest having lost both of their first two games, including last week at expansion St. Louis.
Returning home could help. Charlotte was superb at Bank of America Stadium last year, compiling a 10-6-1 record. Meantime, the Five Stripes were abysmal on the road, winning just two of their 17 league matches away from The Benz.
3. The chase begins for the CONCACAF title
In the one MLS-Liga MX matchup within the spherical of 16, Orlando City earned a beneficial scoreless draw Tuesday towards Tigres in Monterrey, putting them in position for an upset win in the second leg March 15 in Central Florida.
Oscar Pareja is clearly prioritizing the Champions League this season; the Lions coach rested his starters for last week’s scoreless draw with Cincinnati in league play, and can in all probability do the identical Saturday evening in D.C.
Two different MLS golf equipment should win subsequent week’s second legs at house to advance: the Philadelphia Union and Alianza played to a scoreless draw Tuesday in El Salvador while Austin FC must overturn a 3-0 aggregate deficit to Haiti’s Violette in Texas.
4. LAFC coming in sizzling
Los Angeles FC reveals 2022 MLS Championship banner
The defending champs haven’t missed a beat since their Feb. 25 opener against Los Angeles rival LA Galaxy was postponed. LAFC topped Portland 3-2 last week in a match that wasn’t as close as the score suggests, then opened their Champions League slate with a resounding 3-0 victory Thursday at Costa Rica’s Alajuelense.
Denis Bouanga scored all three goals for the visitors, completing his hat trick in style in the 89th minute:
The rematch is next Wednesday.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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