Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan and captain Michael Parkhurst helped fans, Delta Air Lines customers and employees competing in a contest at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday.
Guzan and Parkhurst are two of the six Atlanta United players voted into the MLS All-Star game scheduled for Aug 1 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The event, part of Delta's sponsorship of Atlanta United and the stadium, involved about 200 Delta customers, employees and Atlanta United fans trying to kick a soccer ball into goals named for cities Delta flies to from Atlanta.
While Delta is the charter carrier for the Atlanta Falcons and other teams, it doesn’t play that role for Atlanta United.
That's because Major League Soccer has strict limits on the number of charter flights teams can take. But Parkhurst said the team flies on Delta most of the time. "They're synonymous with Atlanta United now," he said.
Other players including Josef Martinez also appeared at the event.
Atlanta United fans and Delta corporate customers invited to the event were competing to win a trip to the city named on the goal they were kicking toward: New York, London, Seoul, Rome, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles.
Dozens scored and won flights.
More than 20 Delta employees were chosen by managers and their colleagues to participate in the Tuesday contest with the players, said Delta senior vice president of global sales Bob Somers, who called the event a way to “capitalize on our partnership with Atlanta United.” Fans entered a sweepstakes to attend the event.
