Atlanta United FC decided against building its training complex in DeKalb County after workers discovered problems with an old landfill beneath where practice fields would have been located.

Buried trash and debris posed an ongoing risk that the ground could settle, creating an uneven playing surface on soccer fields, according to a geotechnical study obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an open records request.

Faced with a $20 million cost to excavate the landfill, Atlanta United and DeKalb mutually agreed that the project wasn't financially viable. Atlanta United will instead build its facilities in Marietta.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com