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Atlanta Soccer


The Atlanta Chiefs: How Atlanta's First Pro Soccer Team Built the Foundation
This page is part of the Soccer Down Here Soccer Reference Desk history of soccer in Atlanta. It covers the original Atlanta Chiefs, 1966 to 1972. A separate page will cover the second Chiefs era, 1978 to 1981. "When you say you're with Atlanta, then people know and understand. Atlanta is U.S. soccer to people around the world." — Vic Rouse, Atlanta Chiefs head coach, February 1969 1. The Decision: Why Atlanta and Why Soccer in 1966 The question that launched professional soc

Jason Longshore
7 hours ago13 min read


The Man Who Saw It Coming: Ted Turner and the Soccer Story Nobody Is Telling Today
Ted Turner died today at 87, and the obituaries are writing themselves. CNN founder. Braves owner. Superstation pioneer. America's Cup winner. The man who put Atlanta on the world map before Atlanta knew it belonged there. All of it is true, and all of it deserves to be said. But there is a chapter in Turner's relationship with this city and with this sport that is not making it into those obituaries, and it is one that soccer people in Atlanta should know. Because before Art

Jason Longshore
5 days ago11 min read


From Atlanta to Argentina: Matteo Berrio's Road to Aldosivi
Matteo with a teammate at Aldosivi (photos from Matteo) Matteo Berrio is 18 years old, from Buford, Georgia, and right now he is training with the reserve side at Club Atlético Aldosivi in Mar del Plata, Argentina, a Liga Profesional club, with eyes on time with the first team as well. For a kid who grew up in the Atlanta soccer scene, that is not a small thing. Getting here was not a straight line. Berrio's path ran through Envigado FC in Colombia, one of South America's mos

Jason Longshore
6 days ago2 min read


Atlanta's NWSL Team Is Being Built With Purpose
Josh Blank laid out the timeline for Atlanta's 2028 NWSL launch. The organization is not waiting for opening day to figure out who this club is supposed to be. Atlanta's NWSL team does not have a name yet. The crest, the logo, and the coach are all still to come. The chief soccer officer search is underway and the roster has not been assembled. From the outside, 2028 feels a long way off. From the inside, the work is already well underway. Arthur and Josh Blank at the Atlanta

Jason Longshore
6 days ago5 min read


The History of Soccer in Atlanta: How the South's Biggest City Became a Soccer Town
"When you say you're with Atlanta, then people know and understand. Atlanta is U.S. soccer to people around the world." — Vic Rouse, Atlanta Chiefs head coach, February 1969 Atlanta did not discover soccer when Atlanta United arrived. Atlanta United discovered what had been here all along. This is that story. The history of soccer in Atlanta stretches back more than a century, to immigrant communities kicking a ball at Piedmont Park in 1908 and a handful of Scotsmen and Engli

Jason Longshore
May 215 min read


Carlos Bocanegra Launches Atlanta FC, a Youth Club Built on a Different Idea
Former U.S. Men's National Team captain Carlos Bocanegra has launched Atlanta FC, a new youth soccer club for boys U-8 through U-13 built around a one-team-per-coach development model. Tryouts are May 18-20 in Brookhaven.

Jason Longshore
Apr 283 min read
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