Atlanta United kicked off their MLS journey in stellar fashion by finishing with the fourth-best record in the 2017 regular season, losing to Columbus Crew on penalties in the first round of the playoffs.
In their second season, Atlanta would go one better by placing second in the Supporters' Shield standings and winning the MLS Cup, the ultimate prize in American soccer.
The Five Stripes continued their superb start by finishing second in the East and third overall before losing in the Eastern Conference Finals, as well as adding to their trophy cabinet with the 2019 U.S. Open Cup and the 2019 Campeones Cup. All signs pointed to Atlanta being one of the dominant teams of the 2020s.
Instead, Atlanta have taken a nosedive in form, missing out on the postseason in 2020, losing in the first round in 2021, before failing to reach the playoffs once again in 2022. Atlanta bounced back by finishing sixth in the East and losing in the opening round of the playoffs, and they would follow that up by finishing ninth in 2024 and edging Montreal on penalties.
Against all odds, Atlanta managed to avoid elimination and defeat Inter Miami, who had recently achieved the best regular season record in MLS history. However, they were unable to make it back to the Conference Finals after losing to Orlando City.
This season, Atlanta have regressed to an atrocious 26th-place in the MLS standings with just 21 points from 24 matches. Atlanta find themselves in 13th place, 14 points away from the playoff positions.
Despite boasting one of the best stadiums in the USA, despite spending over €30 million in the offseason to acquire Middlesbrough's Emmanuel Latte Lath and Newcastle's Miguel Almiron, they find themselves on the outside looking in.
"When you spend so much and identify quality players that have joined the club over the past few years and take a snapshot of the roster, you can imagine yourself playing Football Manager from your computer and that you're set, that you have a decent squad," stated Quentin Westberg in an exclusive FourFourTwo interview.
"But that's the beauty of soccer – it's way more than just identifying a couple of top players and thinking it's all going to go smoothly. It's about creating that culture, creating that environment, creating that moment where you sign for Atlanta."
The son of an American father and a French mother, Westberg spent the near entirety of his career in France before making the move across the Atlantic Ocean and joining Toronto FC in 2019. Despite initially arriving as a backup, Westberg won the starting spot in goal and led them all the way to the 2019 MLS Cup Final, where they would lose to Seattle Sounders.
"There was this great roster that was built for us to succeed at Atlanta, but it takes way more than that. Whatever the transfer fee, whatever the length of your contract, it takes the daily grind together, it takes humility and responsibility together. It takes more than 'Hey, I'm there. I see myself on social media. I was a record-breaking transfer. I'm a legend coming back to the club."
"No, you need to drop all of that and actually serve the club. If it was as easy as paying a lot of money for players, then everyone would do it. But no, there's systems and environments that are created." There's a culture that you need to create or respect or nurture."
Whilst their postseason hopes are fading deeper and deeper into the horizon, Atlanta United do have a chance of ending their six-year trophy drought, with the Five Stripes set to face three Mexican sides in the Leagues Cup group stage.
Atlanta will be looking to terminate their eight-match winless streak on Wednesday as they prepare to take on Necaxa at the Georgia Dome. Then, it's off to Mexico City to face a Pumas side featuring veteran stars like Keylor Navas and Aaron Ramsey, before returning home and dueling it out with Atlas in their third and final group stage match.
Back in 2023, Inter Miami entered their first-ever edition of the Leagues Cup as one of the weakest teams in MLS, only to end up winning the tournament thanks to a sensational opening month from new arrival Messi. The 2024 edition, meanwhile, would see Columbus Crew romp to the final, where they defeated LAFC 3-1.
Can Atlanta follow in Miami's footsteps and turn their dismal season around with a strong display in the Leagues Cup?
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