MLS Commissioner Don Garber cited Atlanta United as an example on Wednesday of how the league no longer worries about players not signing because of concerns about their futures with their national teams.
In the past, some players were hesitant to come to the league because of concerns that they would no longer develop due to training centers that weren’t the same quality of clubs in other parts of the world, and therefore would be overlooked by the managers of their national teams.
Garber said he no longer worries about that.
“When players go to Atlanta, they don't go to that training center and wonder if they are going to develop,” Garber said as part of a wide-ranging interview that included facts about the league’s extended deal with adidas and expansion.
Atlanta United opened its $60 million training center earlier this year in Marietta. Its new home, $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will open in less than a month. Atlanta United will make its debut in the stadium on Sept. 10 when it hosts FC Dallas.
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