Despite having more than $40 million to spend, Atlanta United failed to sign a striker as the transfer window closed Wednesday night.
The club added two starters: attacking midfielder Alexey Miranchuk, for $13 million from Atalanta, and left fullback Pedro Amador, on a free transfer.
The club reportedly was pursuing 29-year-old Uzbeki striker Eldor Shomurodov, who plays for Roma, as late as Wednesday. It also reportedly chased Dutch striker Steven Bergwijn, but Ajax rejected the $16 million bid.
The good news for Atlanta United is that its two strikers, loanee Daniel Rios and Jamal Thiare, have combined for 11 goals.
The bad news is that the team holds the ninth and final playoff spot in the East and needed a proven goal-scorer to better the probability that it can move up the table in its final nine matches, starting Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy.
The next transfer window will open after the season. Atlanta United will have one Designated Player slot open and can use allocation money to buy down the contract of either Stian Gregersen or Bartosz Slisz, whomever has the DP tag at the time, to free up another DP slot.
It would be difficult to view the work done in the window as satisfying. Club President Garth Lagerwey went into the window saying this is when the fun will start. He tasked Vice President Carlos Bocanegra with finding prime-age proven players from top leagues to replenish Atlanta United’s roster, whose bottom-line was helped but results hurt by the sales of striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, attacking midfielder Thiago Almada and left fullback Caleb Wiley.
Miranchuk may be able to fill the void left by the sale of Almada to Botafogo for a fee of $21 million that could rise to as much as $31 million. Miranchuk had 63 goals and 71 assists across all competitions, including 13 goals and 19 assists in 98 appearances for Atalanta.
The same is true for Amador in replacing Wiley. Amador has two appearances for Atlanta United, including one start.
But not signing a striker, arguably the toughest position to find and sign because of the demand for goals, was going to be a challenge but won’t lessen the worry for supporters, some of whom have expressed frustration with the team’s direction. It fired manager Gonzalo Pineda midway through the season and raised ticket prices for next season, despite not having even played for a trophy since 2019.
Atlanta United wasn’t the only MLS team to fail to line a top-of-the-formation goal-scorer. The only “big-name” striker to come to an MLS team during the window was Olivier Giroud to LAFC, and that was a free.
A solace may be that this is how Lagerwey has done business in previous jobs at Real Salt Lake and Seattle, and the results have proved that his data-driven, methodical approach in building balanced rosters void of big-dollar signings works. Seattle became the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League, as well as the MLS Cup in 2016 and ‘19. It lost in two other Cup finals during Lagerwey’s time. Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup in 2009 and was runners-up for the Supporters Shield twice.
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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1
March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0
March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0
March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0
April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1
April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2
April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1
April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1
May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1
May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup
May 11 D.C. United 3, Atlanta United 2
May 15 Cincinnati 1, Atlanta United 0
May 18 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1
May 21 Atlanta United 0 (5), Charleston 0 (4) in U.S. Open Cup
May 25 LAFC 1, Atlanta United 0
May 29 Atlanta United 3, Miami 1
June 2 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 2
June 15 Atlanta United 2, Houston 2
June 19 Atlanta United 1, D.C. United 0
June 22 Atlanta United 1, St. Louis 1
June 29 Atlanta United 2, Toronto 1
July 3 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
July 6 Real Salt Lake 5, Atlanta United 2
July 9 vs. Indy Eleven 2, Atlanta United 1
July 13 Montreal 1, Atlanta United 0
July 17 Atlanta United 2, NYCFC 2
July 20 Atlanta United 2, Columbus 1
July 26 D.C. United 3 (6), Atlanta United 3 (5) in Leagues Cup
Aug. 4 Santos Laguna 0 (5), Atlanta United 0 (3) in Leagues Cup
Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Orlando, 6 p.m.
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