Atlanta United is looking to add a player of quality good enough to start, club President Darren Eales said Wednesday.
The MLS transfer window is open. It will close Aug. 5. The team added midfielder Amar Sejdic in a trade with Montreal on Tuesday.
Eales said the club is in the process of identifying potential players, when asked if a signing was imminent. He wouldn’t say what position the club is looking to strengthen. The team has one spot available on its senior roster.
Eales said the club currently isn’t considering buying down the contract of Alan Franco, who is a Designated Player. Reducing his contract by the use of Allocation Money would allow the team to open a DP slot. Each MLS team is allowed a maximum of three DPs. The team’s other two are occupied by Josef Martinez and Ezequiel Barco. The decision to buy down Franco may depend upon the player that Atlanta United attempts to sign.
The signing is important because Atlanta United’s roster is depleted.
Four starters, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, centerback Miles Robinson, fullback George Bello and midfielder Ezequiel Barco, will miss the next few weeks because of call-ups to national teams for tournaments. The Americans will compete in the Gold Cup. The first game for the U.S. is scheduled for Sunday. Should the U.S. advance out of its group, the quarterfinals are scheduled to start July 24, the semifinals July 29 and the finals Aug. 1. Barco is with Argentina for the Olympics in Tokyo. Soccer in the Games is scheduled to start July 21 and end Aug. 7.
Additionally, midfielder Emerson Hyndman is lost for the season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee during training. Midfielder Franco Ibarra is out for at least the next two weeks with an undisclosed injury. Centerback Alan Franco, and midfielders Santiago Sosa, Matheus Rossetto and Jurgen Damm also are recovering from injuries.
All of this, and team is scheduled to play five games before the end of July. At 2-3-6, and winless in its past six, Atlanta United currently is not among the seven Eastern Conference teams that would qualify for the playoffs.
It also seems unlikely, as of Wednesday, that the club will sell any of its assets to free money or a roster spot. Eales said the club hasn’t received any communications from other clubs about possibly purchasing Bello, Robinson or Barco.
He said he’s not surprised that they haven’t received any offers, but he expects that he will as the season continues.
