Atlanta United

Atlanta United not finished adding players

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 07:  Carlos Bocanegra speaks onstage during the MLS Atlanta Launch Event at SOHO on July 7, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for MLS Atlanta)
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 07: Carlos Bocanegra speaks onstage during the MLS Atlanta Launch Event at SOHO on July 7, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for MLS Atlanta)
Feb 26, 2021

Atlanta United may try to sign two more players, Vice President Carlos Bocanegra said Friday.

Bocanegra declined to confirm if the team has signed centerback Lautaro Giannetti, or if centerback is a position that the club wants to strengthen. The team has two centerbacks, Miles Robinson and Anton Walkes, who have experience in MLS because it loaned Fernando Meza to Defensa y Justicia and Franco Escobar to Newell’s Old Boys. Both clubs are in Argentina. The other centerbacks on the roster are Homegrown signings George Campbell and Efrain Morales. The team has yet to sign draft pick Josh Bauer, a centerback from New Hampshire.

Bocanegra said that manager Gabriel Heinze has had a lot of input in the signings thus far.

“All roster decisions he was aware of and had input in,” Bocanegra said. “The collaboration going forward was good.”

Players signed include fullbacks Mikey Ambrose and Ronald Hernandez, midfielders Machop Chol (Homegrown), Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa, and strikers Lisandro Lopez and Erick Torres.

Asked if any of the additions were signed as part of the league’s Under-22 Initiative, Bocanegra said the club has until April 17 to be compliant within MLS rules and that there are a lot of difference contracts and roster mechanisms that can be used.

About the Author

Doug Roberson covers the Atlanta United and Major League Soccer.

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