Carlos Bocanegra smiled and laughed a lot as he talked about the life that he’s enjoying post-Atlanta United.
Enjoying a coffee in the corner of a store, Bocanegra talked about staying involved in soccer, diving into his passion for residential real estate and being able to, on a whim, go on a trip to the Georgia coast.
For the first time in 30 years, soccer doesn’t dictate his schedule.
That abrupt ending happened in September, when Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey fired Bocanegra, who had been with the club as its second employee since March 2015.
Bocanegra helped build the teams that won the MLS Cup in 2018 and the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019. But the team didn’t win another playoff series from 2020-24 and cycled through several managers and millions of dollars in transfer fees.
It also brought in more than $100 million in player sales, more than any MLS team, too.
“I wish them success, and I want the best for them and for the city,” Bocanegra said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. “It’s great. Arthur (Blank) is an amazing owner, and you want to see good things happen to people like that.”
It had been a long time since Bocanegra had time off. He joined Atlanta United less than a year after ending his 15-year playing career that was split between MLS, clubs in Europe and 100 appearances for the U.S. men’s national team.
Bocanegra spearheaded the signing of Hector Villalba as the team’s first Designated Player, manager Gerardo Martino, players Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez and, later, Thiago Almada.
His eye for talent included getting the most out of the last years for Michael Parkhurst and Jeff Larentowicz, two stalwarts for the MLS Cup team, signing Brad Guzan, who remains the team’s captain, as well as starting the careers of Miles Robinson, Julian Gressel, George Bello, Caleb Wiley and George Campbell, among others.
Bocanegra wasn’t as successful with managers. Martino and De Boer won trophies. They were followed by Gabriel Heinze, who lasted 13 matches, and Gonzalo Pineda, who lasted almost three seasons, with no trophies.
Bocanegra’s body of work was cited for his firing.
Bocanegra said he watches some of Atlanta United’s matches but is spending more time on other things.
But Bocanegra is not done with soccer.
He was invited and accepted an invitation to join the board of the Chattanooga Red Wolves, a USL League One team. Bocanegra became involved with Red Wolves after a coffee meeting with the franchise owner, Robert Martino, in Florida last year.
The two stayed in touch. Bocanegra appreciated the values that Robert and his wife Lana have. Bocanegra will attend his first board meeting before Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match at Nashville.
Bocanegra won’t be involved with the day-to-day running of the club but said he will make himself available should anyone need him. He will focus on the overall soccer operations. He’s curious to learn more about the business operations.
“It’s an opportunity to stay close to the game, stay sharp,” he said. “Hopefully, I can just bring a different perspective and some experience for them at the board level, maybe from a higher-level soccer perspective. I’m excited.”
Bocanegra didn’t want to make a prediction on how Tuesday’s match might go but said he loves a good Cup run because it can energize a city. Atlanta United’s run in 2019 is a good example.
Bocanegra said USL’s ambitions to compete with MLS didn’t factor into his decision to join Chattanooga’s board, but he thinks it will improve soccer in the U.S.
Chattanooga and USL League One is a long way from Atlanta United and MLS, but there are many things about the club that appealed to him. It is a founding member of USL League One, the USL W League and the USL Academy.
Bocanegra leaned over the wooden table with excitement as he talked about the Red Wolves’ stadium, CHI Memorial, which was the first soccer-specific stadium in Tennessee, and the entertainment district going up around it.
The club also engaged in efforts to provide scholarships for as much as $20,000 to seniors in its academy each year and need-based scholarships that help players defray the cost of the sport.
“The club has consistently demonstrated a desire to be on the trailblazing edge of the sport,” he wrote in a text.
That is just one of the soccer ventures that Bocanegra will be part of. He will give a presentation to FIFA next week on club development.
He’s also been working on another passion: real estate.
An investor since the early days of his playing career, Bocanegra completed his Realtor’s license last year and pitched and then started a Sports & Entertainment Division for his broker, HOME.
Bocanegra reasoned that he could use what he learned helping players move to Atlanta for Atlanta United to help players at any of Atlanta’s pro sports teams navigate the intense and complicated decision-making process of not only moving to the city but deciding where to move.
He said building and running a soccer club is analogous to helping people buy or build homes.
For starters, buying a player for millions of dollars and buying a home for hundreds of thousands of dollars both represent serious investments, and due diligence must be completed.
“The contract writing is … you want both sides to do well, because you want it to be a good process,” he said. “So there’s a lot of similarities.”
Bocanegra might one day consider working in a front office for a club. It would have to be a unique offer.
“I think I was so blessed to be a part of this organization (Atlanta United) and the quality and level of this organization, I’d want it to be a special opportunity to move my family and do something else,” he said.
“That’s one thing I do love about real estate. I get to stay close to it. I get to stay sharp, stay a part of it, interacting.”
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Atlanta United’s 2025 schedule
Feb. 22 Atlanta United 3, Montreal 2
March 1 Charlotte 2, Atlanta United 0
March 8 Atlanta United 0, New York Red Bulls 0
March 16 Miami 2, Atlanta United 1
March 22 Atlanta United 2, Cincinnati 2
March 29 Atlanta United 4, NYCFC 3
April 5 Atlanta United 1, Dallas 1
April 12 New England 1, Atlanta United 0
April 19 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta United 0
April 26 Orlando 3, Atlanta United 0
May 3 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1
May 10 at Chicago, 2:30 p.m., Apple
May 14 at Austin, 8:30 p.m., Apple
May 17 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 25 vs. Cincinnati, 7 p.m., Apple
May 28 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 31 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 12 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 25 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 28 at Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 5 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 16 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Apple, FS1
July 19 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 26 vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 30 vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup
Aug. 2 vs. Pumas in Orlando, Leagues Cup
Aug. 6 vs. Atlas, Leagues Cup
Aug. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 16 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 24 vs. Toronto, 5 p.m., Apple
Aug. 30 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Apple
Sept. 13 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 20 vs. San Diego, 4:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 27 at New England, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 5 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 18 vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m., Apple
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