Rumbling drumbeats, horns and supporters shouting cheers were the backdrop for athletes on Atlanta United’s Special Olympics Unified Team as they officially experienced their own signing day.
The annual event for the team took place last week at the top of the Coda Tech Square building with professional soccer players attending including goalie Brad Guzan and midfielder Thiago Almada.
Atlanta United President Darren Eales told the roster of players, who have developmental disabilities, that their passion for the game spreads throughout the organization.
“We all just want to come out to support you guys’ energy,” Eales said. “The passion, the enthusiasm, the joy that is out there on the field shows …Our vision isn’t just about the (professional) team. It’s about the game of soccer and how everyone (can) play the game.”
Atlanta United’s Unified Team started in 2017 as part of Major League Soccer’s social platform, MLS WORKS. The entity partners with Special Olympics North America.
Players tried out for the 2022 Unified team last fall. The roster includes nine players with developmental disabilities who range in age from 16 to mid-to-late 20s and nine able-bodied athletes called partners who help move the game along the field and assist with setting up plays. The partners are high school and college soccer players.
Special Olympics athlete Brendan Jagielski, 29, of Johns Creek who helped lead Atlanta United Unified to a 3-2 win against Inter Miami CF Unified last year, has transitioned to assistant coach this year. He is one of four assistant coaches under head coach Marty Jelleme.
The team will play two competitive games this season against out-of-state teams which are scheduled before Major League Soccer matches. They will play Orlando City Unified July 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the New England Revolution Unified Team Oct. 1 at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
The Unified team will train weekly at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. They start scrimmage matches Wednesday with a friendly match against Atlanta Area School for the Deaf. More scrimmages will take place during the season with the Atlanta United U-19 academy team and the organization’s front office staff.
This year is professional player Guzan’s fifth as ambassador of the Unified team.
“I’m very fortunate to be a part of this,” Guzan told the Unified players. “The games ... are certainly a memorable experience but I think practice, week in and week out, putting in the work, coming together as a group, that’s what this is all about and we’re certainly going to make some awesome memories.”
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