There weren’t too many surprises among Atlanta United’s end-of-season roster moves announced Monday.
The MLS club announced that it exercised the loan option on centerback Juan Jose Purata, and contract options on midfielders Matheus Rossetto and Ozzie Alonso, centerbacks Miles Robinson and George Campbell, striker Jackson Conway and fullback Aiden McFadden.
The club is negotiating with midfielder Amar Sejdic, who was out of contract.
The club has 31 players under contract.
Fullback Mikey Ambrose and centerback Alex De John are out of contract. Options were declined on centerback Bryce Washington, and goalkeepers Dylan Castanheira and Raul Gudino. The loans of striker Ronaldo Cisneros and goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo are set to expire at the end of the year. Neither player is likely to return.
The 24-year-old Purata made 17 appearances, including 16 starts, and scored six goals. He was acquired on loan from Tigres in LIGA MX following a season-ending injury to Robinson. He had a guaranteed salary of $483,500 for the 2022 season, according to the Major League Soccer Players Association.
Rossetto, 26, made 24 appearances, including 19 starts, with one assist last season. He had a guaranteed salary of $662,500 last season.
Alonso, 37, made four starts before suffering a season-ending ACL injury at D.C. United. He had a guaranteed salary of $84,000.
Robinson, 25, made nine appearances, including eight starts, before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his season. He had a guaranteed salary of $737,500.
Campbell, 21, made 20 appearances, including 16 starts. He had a guaranteed salary of $98,000.
McFadden, 24, made 11 appearances, including eight starts. He had a guaranteed salary of $65,500.
Conway, 20, made three appearances. He had a guaranteed salary of $84,000.
Sejdic, 24, made 23 appearances, including 18 starts, last season. He had two assists. He was acquired in a trade with Montreal during the 2021 season. He made 10 appearances, including five starts, in 2021. He had a guaranteed salary of $85,444.
Cisneros, 25, scored seven goals in 28 appearances. He was acquired on loan from Chivas during the season. Rios Novo, 20, appeared in 16 games with 15 starts. He had two shutouts. He allowed 27 goals. He was acquired on loan from Lanus in Argentina during the season because of season-ending Achilles ruptures suffered by Brad Guzan and Castanheira.
Ambrose, 29, made two appearances last season. He made 26 appearances in two different stints with the club. De John, 31, made five appearances, including four starts, last season. He made nine appearances with five starts in two seasons with the club. Gudino, 26, made seven starts. He had two shutouts. He allowed seven goals. He was signed as a free agent midway through the season.
Castanheira and Washington, who was a Homegrown signing, never made an appearance for the first team.
Atlanta United failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Monday was the deadline mandated by the league for clubs to announce moves. Free agency opens Wednesday.
Atlanta United’s roster (as of Nov. 14)
Goalkeepers (2): Justin Garces and Brad Guzan
Defenders (11): George Campbell, Noah Cobb*, Alan Franco, Andrew Gutman, Ronald Hernández, Brooks Lennon, Aiden McFadden, Efrain Morales, Juanjo Purata, Miles Robinson and Caleb Wiley
Midfielders (10): Thiago Almada, Ozzie Alonso, Ezequiel Barco**, Ajani Fortune*, Emerson Hyndman, Franco Ibarra, Marcelino Moreno, Matheus Rossetto, Santiago Sosa and Tyler Wolff***
Forwards (8): Luiz Araújo, Erik Centeno, Machop Chol, Jackson Conway, Dom Dwyer, Erik López, Josef Martínez and Edwin Mosquera.
*Effective Jan. 1, 2023
**On loan to River Plate through 2023 season
***On loan to SK Beveren through 2022-23 season
For more content about Atlanta United
Follow me on Twitter @DougRobersonAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now
On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson
Atlanta United coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Fried Soccer podcast can be found
Apple - https://apple.co/3ISD6Ve
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3L8TN0C
Google podcasts - https://bit.ly/32KlZW3
If you are listening to us for the first time, please follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast ... and if you like what you hear, please give us a good rating so we can grow the show. If you have questions about the MLS team, you can email Doug Roberson at droberson@ajc.com, DM him on Twitter @dougrobersonajc or call 770-810-5297.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a special offer for Atlanta United supporters and listeners to this podcast. If you subscribe today, you will not only get unlimited digital access to the AJC and the Sunday paper for $2.30 a week but we are also throwing in a special limited-edition Atlanta United and Atlanta Journal-Constitution scarf. So sign up now at subscribe.ajc.com/utdscarf.
