Mauricio Culebro introduced as Atlanta United, NWSL team’s president of soccer

Mauricio Culebro was convinced of the opportunity to become the first AMB Sports and Entertainment president of soccer as soon as he heard of its position’s existence.

Now the work begins as the organization introduced Culebro on Monday afternoon after announcing the hire back in March. He’ll oversee both the Atlanta United and the new National Women’s Soccer League franchise that will begin in 2028.

“I’ve been to the three World Cup matches, and I’ve experienced firsthand the passion of the fans, the appetite they have for football, soccer now,” Culebro said. “I knew I wanted to be a part of this. I’ve seen why Atlanta is the epicenter of soccer.”

Culebro most recently served as president of Tigres UANL, a Liga MX club in Mexico. He oversaw both the men’s and women’s sides from 2021-26. Under his watch, the Tigres won the 2023 Liga MX championship and the 2020 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Meanwhile, the women’s side won seven titles in the Liga MX Femenil, four while he was president. The 48-year-old executive has also spent time with Club América and the Mexico Football Federation.

Here’s a breakdown of what we learned from Culebro’s introductory press conference:

How Culebro will oversee the soccer teams in Atlanta

AMBSE vice president of executive strategy Josh Blank and AMBSE chief executive officer Rich McKay both said that they were drawn to Culebro’s experience leading men’s and women’s squads. Culebro oversaw the expansion of Club América’s women’s team and later led the Tigres UANL Femenil.

“The last thing that we would ever want is for one team to be taking away from one another,” Blank said. “You’ve even seen around the World Cup, we’ve had numerous activations where we’ve had both NWSL and Atlanta United presence to help continue growing the game here.”

The hope is to have two teams collaborating but still have separate identities, which begins with a $100 million facility separate from United’s established training center.

Culebro will oversee both teams but did not say he would be the main decision-maker. For United roster decisions, he said it will be a collaborative process, and he will often defer to the “experts” like chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson and manager Gerardo Martino.

Addressing United’s struggles

In his opening statement, Culebro had a message to the fans: “I will put all my effort, my experience, my knowledge, my expertise to bring Atlanta United back where it belongs.”

United was 3-9-2 before the international break for the FIFA World Cup after a slew of disappointing seasons. Culebro said he understands the balance between the urgency of club play versus the patience allowed on the national team side, but United needs to turn the ship around.

“I know that at the end of the day, we are a soccer team and we need to perform well on the pitch and off the pitch,” he said. “I always say that you can be doing everything right off the pitch, but if the team isn’t winning … I think we will have time, there’s patience, but we need to get the results as soon as we can as well.”

Comparing MLS to other leagues

Culebro has spent more than two decades in Mexican football, and as he transitions to American soccer, he is impressed with the level of competition.

“I’m convinced that the MLS has the potential to become one of the best leagues in the world,” Culebro said. “If you see the last tournament, Leagues Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup, I think now it’s been a pretty similar level of competitiveness.”

He said that the schedule change, which matches the late summer to spring format like other leagues such as Liga MX or Premier League, will help the growth of MLS. After all, those CONCACAF tournaments met an American team just beginning the season and a Mexican team in full swing.

Capitalizing on World Cup success

The organization introduced Culebro at the height of World Cup buzz. Culebro went to Mexico’s opening match and, along with a couple more, noticed the appetite for fans in Atlanta and across the U.S. It’s top of mind for everyone at the organization hoping for a “transcendent impact.”

“Once the World Cup ends, it’s on us as an organization, as clubs, as leagues, to continue tapping into those fans who experienced fandom, whether it be inside the stadium or outside the stadium. I think it’s going to continue growing,” Blank said.

NWSL squad next steps

While the MLS season is already underway, the goals are more straightforward — fight to make the playoffs and address the transfer window, the NWSL has a foundation that needs building.