Atlanta United's signings of Hector Villalba , Brandon Vazquez and Miguel Almiron have been described by some who report on Major League Soccer as ushering in a new era for the league .
Rather than signing the known, older players in the twilights of their careers in moves that are often as much about marketing as winning games, Atlanta United has chosen to avoid the “dead money” approach and invest in youth with an eye on increasing the probability of success on the field and in the bank account.
It’s a vision that Atlanta United President Darren Eales laid out when he was hired two years ago and hasn’t wavered from as the team builds its roster ahead of its inaugural 2017 season.
“Our vision was to be more like clubs are in the rest of the world, to attract that talent in its prime and to think of acquiring players from the start and as assets for the future,” Eales said.
Eales wants a club that will hopefully be competitive in the short term – Seattle was the last expansion club to make the playoffs in its first year – but definitely successful in the medium and long term. Though there are numerous way to accomplish that goal, Eales, technical director Carlos Bocanegra and director of soccer operations Paul McDonough believe in youth, whether signing younger players and/or bringing more through the academy. Almiron, capped seven times by Paraguay, is just 22 and was courted by Arsenal and Chelsea. Villalba is 22. Vazquez is 18. Two more players, Andrew Carleton and Chris Goslin, are just 16 and were signed from the team’s academy.
Eales said he doesn’t know if Atlanta United’s signings represent a change for MLS and how some of the teams have built their rosters. There are a few teams that are trying to court younger players in their prime. Some have been successful. However, few have been able to sell those players for financial gains to teams in Europe.
Eales implied that it’s a matter of time as the league improves on the field and in prestige. MLS averaged a league-record 21,692 fans per home game during the 2016 regular season.
“It’s getting more credibility,” he said.
Eales said the support the team is receiving from its supporters, who have set an MLS record for an expansion team with more than 22,000 season tickets purchased, from owner Arthur Blank, and the credibility of manager Gerardo Martino, formerly manager of Barcelona and Argentina and Bocanegra, formerly captain of the U.S. men’s national team, has been huge in acquiring players such as Almiron.
For example, more than 2,000 people attended the home jersey unveiling at the The Tabernacle in November. Player Chris McCann, a veteran of the English leagues, said he has never seen anything like that. Eales said that players who served under Martino when he was managing the Argentinian national team reached out to him because they saw videos of the event.
“This is a place I felt we could attract players,” Eales said. “They want to come to Atlanta be part of that excitement with our fan base. If they develop their careers and a top club came in for them, that’s good for everybody.”
That growing support has re-inforced Eales’ strategy of not chasing the veterans of Europe, a common tactic used by MLS teams to try to generate interest, strengthen squads and sell tickets as a short-term tactic. Eales said it clearly worked when Los Angeles signed David Beckham. He didn’t need to say that there have also been instances that haven’t worked.
Though Almiron and Villaba, for example, are players who may not have the branding impact of a Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard, two veterans who signed with MLS clubs and had mixed success. While those types of signings may help results on the field, they may not help the bottom line. Eales described buying veteran players as spending “dead money,” an expense in transfer fees and wages that can never be recouped by selling the player. Spending a reported $8.5 million in transfer fees in Almiron may not be a bad thing if he can be sold for twice that much.
“If we get that call from Real Madrid and they want to pay $100 million like they did for Gareth Bale, I’m happy to take that call,” Eales said.
It’s interesting that Eales mentions that anecdote because he was at Tottenham when the Spanish giants purchased Bale. So, this belief in investing in youth for success on the field and the ledger isn’t just a theory. Eales has lived it with Spurs and in his previous job at West Bromwich Albion, which didn’t have the financial resources of other Premier League clubs and needed to invest in youth to remain competitive in what is considered the world’s richest and most competitive league.
These are the reasons why Atlanta United is taking a different approach than past expansion teams. Eales referred back to something he said during one of his first press conferences.
“…Let’s try and do something no has done before, do something and different,” he said.
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