Atlanta United’s moves in this barely open transfer window may seem confusing, but Vice President Carlos Bocanegra said they will make sense when the team finishes.
The club has sold or loaned two starters, Andrew Gutman to Colorado and Franco Ibarra to a MLS team to be determined, since the window opened Wednesday. It added central midfielder Tristan Muyumba.
“When we have made all of our moves and where the pieces fall, this was this was part of the greater plan,” Bocanegra said about the Ibarra move. “So it’s not necessarily one in, one out. But it’s to make the entire roster better as a whole and strengthen in different areas where we want to strengthen.”
Bocanegra said the paperwork was being finalized on the Ibarra loan. A person with knowledge of the situation said Ibarra would be going to Toronto until the end of the season. A club spokesman declined to a comment on the destination.
“It’s tough with trying to bring players in, bring players out with the salary cap,” Bocanegra said. “So you have to make some some real tough decisions on players to move like you saw earlier this week with Andrew Guzman as well, moving out. Again, there’s a few more moves coming down the pipeline. And hopefully you guys will see at the end of the window, and we can kind of discuss why we went through the whole all the movement that we did this one.”
It is unlikely that Atlanta United will be moving any more players out and that moving out Gutman and Ibarra are part of trying to give the club better balance. It has scored the second-most goals (39) in MLS and allowed the second-most (35).
But Ibarra wouldn’t have been moved if not for MLS roster rules.
Each team is allowed a maximum of three Under-22 Initiative signings. Atlanta United had four: Ibarra, Santiago Sosa, Erik Lopez and Edwin Mosquera. To be roster compliant at the beginning of the season, it loaned Mosquera to Defensa y Justicia in Argentina. The loan was supposed to be for the season. Instead, Defensa canceled the loan in early June, resulting in Mosquera returning to Atlanta United and forcing the club into a quandary. Bocanegra said the loan cancellation was a mutual decision. Each player has a relatively large salary in MLS (Mosquera’s $412,000 is the smallest of the quartet) and only Ibarra has been consistently productive. He made 17 appearances, including 15 starts, and became manager Gonzalo Pineda’s first-choice defensive midfielder.
The club is waiting on Mosquera’s international transfer certificate, which is required by FIFA, to be approved before he can play. Bocanegra said they hope it arrives in next few days so that he is eligible to play in Saturday’s match at Montreal.
Pineda seemed nonplussed Thursday by losing two starters with his team in seventh in the East and attempting to make the playoffs.
Pineda said he’s grateful for what Ibarra and Gutman provided, but sending them out is simply a result of being in MLS.
“What comes to my mind in MLS is moving parts happen all over the place, all over the clubs,” he said “And I got used to this a long time ago.”
Bocanegra wouldn’t say if he was frustrated by the MLS rules that forced the club to loan one of its promising players.
“We all have the same rules to abide by,” he said. “So while they’re challenging here, we know we know what they are. And every team, every team has them. So it’s it’s just part of it.”
As for other possible moves out, Bocanegra said the club has no plans to try to move centerback Miles Robinson, who is out of contract at the end of the season. He also wouldn’t say if the club has received any official offers for attacking midfielder Thiago Almada, who is expected to be sold for at least $30 million.
As for moves in, Pineda said he sees Muyumba as a player succeeding in a double-pivot, or two defensive midfielders, set up. Muyumba brings speed to Atlanta United’s central midfield. Bocanegra said that they hope Muyumba is eligible to play in time for the Leagues Cup match at Miami on July 25.
Bocanegra said the team likely will bring in a winger to replace Luiz Araujo, who was sold last month to Flamengo for a reported fee of $10 million. Bocanegra couldn’t say if the winger will be a Designated Player, as was Araujo. He said the club may also be bringing in another striker. He said there will be players of importance arriving.
“That’s really the goal to kind of have a push in the playoffs and have a strong end to the season, but everything we do is trying to improve the team,” he said.
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1
March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0
March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1
March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1
April 1 Atlanta United 1, New York Red Bulls 0
April 8 Atlanta United 1, New York City FC 1
April 15 Atlanta United 2, Toronto FC 2
April 23 Atlanta United 2, Chicago 1
April 29 Nashville SC 3, Atlanta United 1
May 6 Inter Miami CF 2, Atlanta United 1
May 13 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 1
May 17 Atlanta United 4, Colorado 0
May 20 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 3
May 27 Atlanta United 1, Orlando 1
May 31 Atlanta United 3, New England 3
June 7 Atlanta United 0, LAFC 0
June 10 Atlanta United 3, D.C. United 1
June 21 Atlanta United 2, New York City 2
June 24 New York Red Bulls 4, Atlanta United 0
July 2 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 0
July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1
July 25 at Miami in Leagues Cup, 7:30 p.m.
July 29 vs. Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup, 8 p.m.
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
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