Atlanta United Sign Veteran Goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos as Club Enters New Era in Goal
- Jason Longshore
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Atlanta United have signed Argentine veteran goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos on a free transfer, the club announced today, adding an experienced and tactically familiar presence to the goalkeeping room ahead of the 2026 season.
Hoyos has signed a contract through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2027–28. He will occupy an international roster spot pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa. The 36-year-old joins Atlanta after spending the last three seasons with Newell’s Old Boys, the club where he developed through the academy and made his first-division debut.
Hoyos arrives at a moment of transition for Atlanta United, following the retirement of club legend Brad Guzan. For the first time in club history, the goalkeeping position enters a season without a clearly established No. 1. It is a shift that has prompted Atlanta to prioritize experience, competition, and tactical clarity in this signing.
“We’re pleased to sign Lucas and look forward to welcoming him to the club,” Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson said. “He’s a goalkeeper with a lot of experience in South America and a leader of the backline who is familiar with Tata’s style of play. Lucas will bring competition and leadership to our young goalkeeping group as we continue to strengthen our roster this offseason.”
Hoyos’ ability to play out of the back was a defining trait of his profile. He is comfortable receiving the first pass, connecting short and medium-range distribution, and acting as an organizer and release valve in possession—qualities Martino has historically valued at the position, and ones Guzan himself embraced during Martino’s first two seasons in Atlanta.
Hoyos brings an extensive résumé. He has made 341 career appearances and recorded 135 clean sheets across all competitions, including Argentina’s first and second divisions, Copa Libertadores, and Copa Sudamericana. He has also worn the captain’s armband for both Vélez Sarsfield and Newell’s Old Boys.
During his most recent stint with Newell’s from 2023–2025, Hoyos made 63 appearances in all competitions, including seven matches in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana as Newell’s advanced to the Round of 16. Across the 2024 and 2025 calendar years, he logged more than 50 first-team appearances, serving primarily as a starter in Argentina’s top flight.
Previously, Hoyos made 137 appearances with 53 clean sheets for Vélez Sarsfield from 2018–2022. His tenure there included deep continental runs—semifinals of the 2020 Copa Sudamericana and the 2022 Copa Libertadores—as well as consistent league finishes near the top of the table.
His career path also includes formative loan spells and second-division experience with Gimnasia y Esgrima and Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, stops that helped shape a goalkeeper known for reliability, positioning, and decision-making rather than spectacle.
It's unknown whether Hoyos arrives as a pre-installed starter. Jayden Hibbert emerged during the 2025 season as a legitimate first-team option, and his continued development along with Hoyos' signing ensures that minutes in 2026 will be earned rather than assigned.
Behind them, Atlanta remain invested in long-term growth, with Jonathan Ransom coming off a U-17 World Cup with Canada and James Donaldson continuing his progression with Atlanta United 2. There are multiple other goalkeepers in the academy who have pro potential as well.
Hoyos will provide a steady veteran reference point while pushing a young group forward through daily competition.
For Atlanta United, the signing of Lucas Hoyos marks a clear inflection point. The era of certainty in goal ended with Guzan’s retirement. What replaces it is competition shaped by experience, tactical fit, and long-term planning, and development of youth.
With preseason less than a month away in Marietta, the battle for minutes between the posts is set to become one of the defining storylines of Atlanta United’s 2026 campaign... and Lucas Hoyos will be at the center of it.