Atlanta United FC

Major League Soccer has suspended and fined Atlanta United's Santiago Sosa for three games after he used an anti-gay slur during a match earlier this month, per ESPN.

The 23-year-old used an anti-gay slur during Atlanta United's Oct. 1 matchup against the New England Revolution. Santiago has since apologized to the player the slur was directed at, according to a statement released by the club:

"Atlanta United is aware of Santiago Sosa's use of offensive language during last week's match. The club does not condone the use of harmful or disrespectful language towards any person.

"Santiago is extremely remorseful and personally apologized to the New England Revolution player. He has also requested additional resources from Major League Soccer's Players Association to grow from this incident.

"The club will ensure this moment serves as an opportunity to reaffirm Atlanta United's deeply held values of inclusion, respect and unity to all of our players and staff."

In addition to being fined and suspended, Sosa is required to take LGBTQ+ Allyship training.

Sosa will be sidelined for Atlanta United's final game of the season against New York City FC on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will also miss the opening two matches of the 2023 campaign.

Atlanta United added Sosa on a transfer from Club Atlético River Plate in February 2021. He has appeared in 46 games, including 40 starts, for the franchise since 2021.

The Argentine has notched just one goal since joining Atlanta United.

United States men's national team defender Miles Robinson was arrested at a bar Saturday and charged with misdemeanor theft by taking, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN.

According to the report from the Cobb County Police Department, Robinson was accused of taking a shot off a drink tray and refusing to pay the $5 for it. The police were called after the bartender at Atlanta PBR alerted management and Robinson's alleged refusal to pay his bill persisted.

Robinson was also given a criminal trespass warning and released on $150 bond.

According to the report, police "explained to him that all he had to do was pay his bill and that if he did not pay the bill the manager wanted to press charges for theft. Robinson once again stated all this was over five dollars. Robinson did not indicate that he was going to pay the bill."

Robinson also accused the staff of racism, stating he was the only Black man in the bar.

The 25-year-old plays for the MLS' Atlanta United, which issued a statement following the incident.

"We are aware of a recent misdemeanor arrest involving Miles Robinson," the club said. "We are continuing to gather all information related to the incident and will not have further comment at this time."

The center back had emerged as one of the best defenders in MLS in recent years, earning him an extended opportunity with the United States national team in 2021. After helping the squad win the Gold Cup, he made 11 starts during World Cup qualifying, tied for second on the team.

Robinson later tore his Achilles tendon in May, ending his MLS season after just nine games while likely ruling him out for the World Cup.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has confirmed on Instagram that his brother Florentin has joined Atlanta United.

Per Rob Ursy of Dirty South Soccer, on his social media account the Red Devils star posted a snap of his brother signing a contract:

Nothing to see here. Just @paulpogba breaking #ATLUTD news... pic.twitter.com/85LGpnuPd8

— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) February 2, 2019

The accompanying caption read: "So happy for my bro, just sign (sic) for Atlanta Utd."

While there has not yet been official confirmation from the Major League Soccer champions of a transfer being finalised, it appears an announcement regarding the deal is now inevitable.

Earlier this week it was reported by Jeff Carlisle of ESPN that Atlanta were close to wrapping up the signing of the defender, whose previous club was Genclerbirligi S.K. in Turkey. 

However, at the end of the previous campaign the Guinea international's contract was not renewed and he has recently been on trial with second-tier Spanish side Elche.

As noted by The Athletic's Felipe Cardenas, the former Saint-Etienne defender endured some tough times during his stint with Genclerbirligi:

2017 Florentin Pogba would've been a good signing. Not sure what the 2019 version looks like. Last year he walked off the pitch of a Turkish league match with his squad down 1-0. His teammates were not happy.https://t.co/eRlUWn4MCd

— Felipe Cárdenas (@FelipeCar) February 1, 2019

Atlanta will be looking to bolster their squad in other areas having lost their key playmaker Miguel Almiron to Newcastle this month. He excelled in 2018, with his creativity and Josef Martinez's goalscoring potency propelling the team to the MLS Cup.

Last term Michael Parkhurst and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez provided Atlanta with a solid defensive base too. It means Pogba is unlikely to be a immediate starter for new boss Frank De Boer.

MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez has signed a new five-year contract with Atlanta United.

The club announced the news via Twitter:

Here to stay 👑😡@JosefMartinez17 inks 5-year contract extension with #ATLUTD

Details ➡️ https://t.co/ksNDBqSH91 pic.twitter.com/u61skyQmtI

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) January 16, 2019

Per the club's official website, Martinez talked about his decision to commit his future to the MLS champions:

"This means a lot to me because of the affection that the fans have shown me, that the fans show all of the players. It's unique. They recognize the effort that you give and they know you did everything to win, and I think that's why we love playing here.

"I have to thank everyone. My teammates, the city, my family and friends, because this is a dream I've always had. I've said before that I don't want to go anywhere because this is my home. You can expect more work, more intensity, because that's who I am. I want to win. I want to do everything for my teammates and for the city."

The 25-year-old joined the club from Torino at the start of 2017 and bagged 19 goals in 20 matches in his debut MLS campaign. Atlanta made the play-offs in their debut season, setting the stage for a phenomenal run in 2018.

The Venezuelan bagged 31 goals in the regular season, breaking the MLS' single-season record, and finished the year by winning League MVP, All-Star Game MVP, the Golden Boot and MLS Cup Final Game MVP. 

Here is a look at his record-setting campaign:

Per OptaJack the numbers behind his short stint in MLS are absurd:

50 - Despite playing in just two seasons, Josef Martinez is already tied for the fifth-most goals in a #MLS player's first three seasons. Absurdity. pic.twitter.com/iZW4S47JkQ

— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) January 16, 2019

Somewhat surprisingly, his strong play has not led to much transfer speculation. Per Charles Boehm of MLSSoccer.com, broadcaster Stuart Holden said there was interest from La Liga, the Premier League and Ligue 1 in August, but there has been little news since.

The new deal should silence whatever speculation there was. Per sportswriter Kristan Heneage, it's a deserved one:

This is well-deserved. Josef Martinez has been a revelation since arriving in MLS. https://t.co/lwwHU9macN

— Kris Heneage (@KHeneage) January 16, 2019

MLS has been a smash hit in Atlanta, and Martinez's strong play has played a major role in the team's popularity. This new contract was a no-brainer, ensuring one of the league's biggest and most productive stars stays right where he is.

It's also a fitting reward for a player who struggled to find his footing in Switzerland and Italy but has blossomed in North America.

Atlanta United confirmed on Sunday that Frank de Boer has been appointed as their new head coach:

New chapter. Same mission.#ATLUTD name @FdeBoerOfficial as 2nd head coach in club history

📝 https://t.co/H2VX85UytQ pic.twitter.com/AT7rLstHHf

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) December 23, 2018

The Dutchman takes over from Tata Martino, who stepped down after winning the 2018 MLS Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers.

De Boer's most recent managerial post was at Premier League side Crystal Palace. He was sacked after just 77 days in charge in September 2017 and replaced by Roy Hodgson.

De Boer also had a short spell in charge of Italian giants Inter Milan prior to his spell in England. However, he managed just 85 days at the San Siro, per BBC Sport.

Football writer David Amoyal offered some insight into his spell in Serie A:

https://twitter.com/DavidAmoyal/status/1076875890456518657

His most successful managerial spell came at Dutch side Ajax. He spent six years with the Eredivisie club and guided the team to four league titles. 

The former defender also worked for two years as an assistant to Bert van Marwijk with the Netherlands national side, helping the team finish runners-up to Spain at the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

De Boer has signed a "multiyear contract" with Atlanta, according to the club's official website. The Dutchman has spoken about his ambitions with the club:

"I would like to build on the current success to develop a secure, solid foundation for the club at the top of MLS and beyond.

"Aside from the club's ambitions, the values, culture and the philosophy for the entire organization are a vital part in realizing that point of success. 

"This is exactly what I believe in as a person and as a coach. All of this combined, makes that I am really excited to be a part of it."

Radio host Mike Conti explained why it's an exciting appointment for Atlanta:

Well, he's managed two of the biggest clubs in Europe and a Premier League club. He had unprecedented success managing in Holland. He's a legendary player. It's a big name hire and it's very exciting. https://t.co/FqovkcYVDk

— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) December 23, 2018

De Boer enjoyed a superb playing career for both club and country. He won five league titles with Ajax, as well as the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. He also won the Spanish league title with Barcelona.

Additionally, the former defender won 112 caps for the Netherlands and was part of the team that finished fourth at the 1998 World Cup.

ESPN's Dave Denholm offered his view:

A massive move by @ATLUTD to bring in De Boer as their new manager. Doesn't mean it will work in the long run, but the ambition and the vision are there. @MLS

— Dave Denholm (@TalkSoccer) December 23, 2018

The move gives De Boer the chance to revive his managerial reputation after disastrous spells in England and Italy. He'll take over a side fresh from winning the MLS Cup and will be expected to continue their success.

Josef Martinez broke the Major League Soccer record for goals in a season by netting his 28th of the 2018 campaign in Atlanta United's clash against Orlando City on Friday.

The Venezuela international's rapid rise through MLS has continued in 2018. His historic goal came in the 74th minute and proved to be the difference in Atlanta United's 2-1 victory:

One for the record books.

#28 on the season for @JosefMartinez17 https://t.co/d7VJ3ngSYP

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) August 25, 2018

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Martinez tied another record with his goal:

Josef Martinez scores his 28th goal of the season, now the most in @MLS single-season history. @JosefMartinez17 has also scored in 9 straight matches for @ATLUTD, tied for the longest streak in league history pic.twitter.com/8jbremQBie

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 25, 2018

Martinez has failed to score in only seven of Atlanta's 26 games, and they sit top of the Eastern Conference and overall standings.

The 25-year-old bagged the opener in Sunday's 3-1 win over Columbus Crew—his 27th of the season—to draw level with former joint record holders Roy Lassiter, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Gerardo Martino's side have soared with Martinez leading their line. He netted 19 times in 20 regular-season outings last term and might have cracked the record in his debut campaign were it not for the 13 matches he missed with hamstring and foot injuries, per Transfermarkt.

Prior to joining Atlanta, Martinez's best tally of goals in a season was the 10 he managed during his sole year at Swiss side FC Thun. That earned him a move to Torino in Serie A, but he disappointed with only 13 goals in 76 games and moved to MLS in 2017.

Martinez has found his groove in the league, and regardless of whether he's worthy of making a step up, analyst Alexi Lalas made the case to revel in his exploits:

Josef Martínez is obviously flourishing in a comfortable environment and @ATLUTD doesn't need the money from a sale (although they may want to sell for the message it sends to future players). Move will really depend on how motivated he is to leave. He's got a good thing going, https://t.co/jkKQPWKDDM

— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) August 21, 2018

Even great MLS strikers like David Villa and Robbie Keane couldn't match Martinez's tally, recording personal bests of 23 and 20 goals for New York City FC and Los Angeles Galaxy, respectively. Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) and Landon Donovan (Galaxy) scored 22 and 20 goals in their best MLS campaigns.

Atlanta still have eight games remaining in the regular season, giving Martinez ample time to obliterate the former single-season scoring record.

At Five Points station, the MARTA train stop in Atlanta, you can hear the hottest sport in the city before you can see it. As you ride the escalator up, toward the concourse level, the sounds crescendo past the hiss of incoming and departing trains, the rumble of commuters, the crackle of fast food, the trap songs—a lot of Future and Trouble—blaring from smartphones. Upon reaching the structure's apex, you can see the Five Points business district skyline. But your attention probably won't land on the tall buildings or the Atlanta City Hall tower in the distance. Rather, your eyes will follow your ears to MARTA's crown jewel—the world's first soccer field built atop a transit station—and a group of young footballers playing on what is known around the "A" as "Station Soccer."

"Come on!" shouts a young man with an almond complexion and Rasta-like dreadlocks. "That's my ankle!" He loses possession to a Latino footballer in a yellow and green Neymar Jr. jersey. A dozen or so spectators sit near the pitch—an emerald turf that stretches nearly 100 feet long and 66 feet wide, ensconced by a transparent net and protective gating—taking in the action. The energy on the field is electric and prolonged; the two teams zip back and forth for what feels like an eternity without either side connecting for a goal. The run is both beautiful and serene—transfixing like a Newton's cradle in motion.

Years ago, the space was an amphitheater before closing for safety reasons. But in 2016, the city, in collaboration with Soccer in the Streets, a local organization whose mission is empowering and engaging local youth with football programming, refashioned the space as a field, primarily for the enjoyment of idle inner-city kids. According to Sanjay Patel, SITS' director of strategic projects, a plan is in place to build a "league of stations"—approximately 10—around Atlanta. The field is open to the public, but runs are organized and curated via SITS' website.

The five-a-side play continues. Eventually, Neymar Jr.'s squad scores. Game over. Players who have been waiting patiently on the sideline begin scrambling to see which five has next. There's an urgency in the air; only 30 minutes remain in today's 90-minute pickup-game time slot.

---

The run at Five Points station is only one part of a vibrant soccer scene that has grown feverishly in and around the city in recent years. "I would say that soccer is the biggest sport in Atlanta," says Ryan Glover, an appointee to MARTA's board of directors and soccer dad to two daughters. "Above the Falcons, above the Braves and certainly above the Hawks." If you drive around Atlanta, it's not difficult to see: Soccer is everywhere—from the east side to the west, from the inner city to the suburbs.

The sport has particularly resonated with the city's black youth. A big reason for that is the arrival of Atlanta United FC. The team was founded in 2014 and has become increasingly popular since its 2017 inaugural season. It broke MLS attendance records its first year, selling 886,625 tickets. (It also became the first MLS expansion club since 2009 to reach the playoffs.)

From the start, ATL UTD smartly integrated hip-hop culture into its marketing: At home games, tailgates are led by a Goodie Mob-inspired fan club called "The Footie Mob." Homegrown rappers Waka Flocka Flame and 2 Chainz serve as team ambassadors; they are often a conspicuous presence at games, clad in red, black and gold apparel. (The back of one of 2 Chainz's jerseys reads "Drench God.") Yung Joc, Rich Homie Quan and Metro Boomin have all hammered in the Golden Spike. Archie Eversole—whose 2002 rap anthem "We Ready" is still a staple before games and a club classic in the A—recently released a song dedicated to Atlanta United FC called "United We Conquer."

The result has been a cultural shift—which is clear when you drive down Peachtree or cruise through the SWATS. With each trend comes a new dress code. And in Atlanta, soccer threads have been the wave for a while. Nigeria's World Cup edition jersey may have been a Hypebeast essential in June, but there isn't a hotter jersey than Atlanta United's. The rapper 21 Savage has been seen reppin' the team colors. So has Ludacris. And T.I. Girls and boys in the city often can be found with their favorite player's name and number on their back. (Some go as far as copping the matching cleats.)

"Niggas always want what's next," says Aaron Dolores, owner of Black Arrow, a lifestyle brand dedicated to the intersection of soccer and black culture. "How many times can you wear a Bulls jersey? Like, you're not going to set any trends in a Dallas Cowboys jersey."

But soccer jerseys aren't the only gear hot among young ATLiens. Melissa Franco, Best Buy Soccer's assistant manager for both the Atlanta and Marietta locations, says that since the 2014 World Cup, youth interest in soccer has "more than doubled" business. "We used to carry just adult items because adults would play soccer after work," she says. "But now everything is for kids from [age] four to five up to 17 and 18."

Franco has seen an uptick in people who don't just love the sport from the stands but play it themselves. Over the last half-decade, kids in Atlanta have poured into local youth leagues, similar to how they have done in the past with American football and basketball. "Years ago you would see a few teens scattered around playing, but nothing formal," Franco says. "Now they're creating these clubs where you can play at four and five years old up to 19."

Recreation leagues have sprouted up everywhere. A number of them feature children whose parents are celebrities. Waka Flocka's 13-year-old daughter, Charlie, plays rec ball. She chose the sport four years ago after failing fourth-grade PE. "I thought she was trying to finesse me, but that's the only sport she'll go see [live]," Waka Flocka says.

In fact, the former rapper says it was Charlie who helped push him toward the sport in the first place. Because of her, Waka Flocka accepted an invitation to attend a Barcelona vs. Real Madrid game during a family trip to Spain. The experience was transformative, he says, the atmosphere enamoring. (So much so that Waka Flocka returned to his hotel at 7 a.m. drunk and earned a tongue-lashing from his wife.) "Listen to the kids, man," he says.

Other celeb parents have pushed their kids toward the sport amid concerns over CTE. When it was time for Shade 45 Sirius radio personality Sarah ViVan to choose a sport for her three-year-old son Dwayne, she gave him only two options: "I didn't want him to play [American] football, so it was either soccer or basketball," says ViVan, a former high school goalkeeper. Dwayne chose the former. Fast-forward six years and he is now a member of the Inter Atlanta FC (IAFC) U11 squad.

Dwayne is a diehard Cristiano Ronaldo fan. And at nine years old, he's even been touched by the gawd, thanks to his close proximity to fame. One time, Dwayne's father, who goes by the professional moniker Lil Wayne, proudly showed Ronaldo footage of Dwayne kicking a penalty kick. "He said my son had great form," ViVan remembers.

ViVan's other child, a 13-year-old daughter named Essence, also has a penchant for world football. She is a fierce right-back for the IAFC Blues and a huge fan of ATL UTD's Franco Escobar. Her U14 Elite team made it to last season's state tournament. "I want to play professionally one day," Essence says. "But now I just enjoy being better than boys at a sport because they can be cocky."

The sport's impact on Atlanta youth is undeniable. Throughout the city, kids are dreaming more and more about jogo bonito. The culture—fueled by the enthusiasm of CTE-frightened parents, a successful MLS team, emcee endorsements and fly apparel—is shifting away from American football and toward the world's game.

But while many young, black ATLiens are finding themselves anew, outside city limits, soccer has long been life.

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Generations before the A had an MLS club, before there was a pitch atop the MARTA station, the soccer capital of Atlanta was located in the northeast corner of the metropolitan area in a small suburb called Clarkston. The town is home to a huge immigrant population—mostly East and West Africans and Southeast Asians who began arriving in the 1980s. A number of talented footballers have been produced here over the years; many have passed through Clarkston High School (which last year vied for a state championship) and other nearby schools in DeKalb County. Some have gone on to Georgia Perimeter College before going overseas.

The epicenter of soccer in Clarkston is located approximately a half-mile from the I-285 expressway, off Church Street, behind a set of tiny cottage-style apartments, at a caged field aptly called Community Mini Pitch. "This is like the Rucker Park of Atlanta soccer!" Otto Loewy, a scout and assistant coach for Atlanta United FC Academy, says gleefully. "All these kids do is play soccer—sunup to sundown."

It's a muggy summer day. The pitch, which boasts dimensions wider than those of Station Soccer, sits directly in front of backwoods as thick as the humidity. A group of teenagers—ranging in age from high school to college—kick a ball around the grass field. A few are from Thailand; the lone girl present is a formidable striker from Laos. The rest of the boys are from "the Motherland."

The standout is a 15-year-old East African immigrant named Betwel Mateyo. He's 5'5" with a remarkable blend of speed and agility—and footwork that makes him particularly dangerous on the pitch. Loewy calls him a "baby Lionel Messi." "The ball is like glue stuck to his feet," he says.

Mateyo has a scar across his left cheek—he earned it in a game years ago—and a sparkling personality once you get past his shyness: a byproduct of his underdeveloped English. ("It has so many words," he confesses.) He would much rather communicate with his feet than through speech. "I love soccer more than everything," he says. "I don't have time to, like, chill with friends. Soccer is my life. All day."

Mateyo has already garnered some looks for his unique skill set and remarkable potential. Like most of the kids at Mini Pitch, he attends nearby Clarkston High School. But he is forbidden to play for its team because he plays on Georgia Soccer's highest competitive youth level: U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Mateyo is the best player on ATL UTD's U15 squad and often gets called up to ball with the older ATL UTD teams. Last year, he grabbed the attention of the U.S. national team for his age group.

Mateyo is a rare talent, but his success story is uncommon, particularly for someone from Clarkston. Club ball is typically reserved for more affluent—usually white—kids. Mateyo's family, like many residents in the neighborhood, lives below the poverty line. He, his parents and his three siblings live in a tight two-bedroom apartment in the neighboring Parc 1000 houses. His mother and father work long hours at a chicken factory. They can't afford to contribute time or money to any sport.

"Atlanta United help me a lot," says Mateyo. "With cleats or clothes. Now I got everything I need."

Most of Clarkston's young talent is stuck kicking it locally because they can't afford to travel to matches in other parts of Atlanta or open runs at places like Five Points. These kinds of circumstances are why Loewy rides out to Clarkston twice a week to shuttle Mateyo and a couple of the other academy players to and from practice. "Atlanta United pays for all the equipment and fees for the kids, but we don't provide transportation," says Loewy. "It's not in the budget."

The camaraderie between Loewy and the kids at the Community Mini Pitch is palpable. They banter with each other and make jokes. "So what are you waiting for?" one teen asks another on the sideline, as if to say, Who got next? The other teen, Jeremiah, a 17-year-old forward with a chipped tooth who plays for ATL UTD U19 and has garnered interest from the University of Central Florida and North Carolina, answers his buddy by antagonizing Coach Loewy. "Whenever this old man decides to put on his kicks."

An amused Loewy takes the bait and agrees to lace up for a quick run or two. "I'm already out here, why not?" He grabs kicks from the trunk of his car and then shortly after reminds the kids that he once balled for the New England Revolution. Jeremiah's team still gets the W.

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Clarkston may be the mecca of black Atlanta's soccer scene, but the city's relationship to the sport hasn't always been so warm. In 2006, then-mayor Lee Swaney banned soccer from being played at a city park. "There will be nothing but baseball down there as long as I am mayor," Swaney told a local paper. "Those fields weren't made for soccer."

Many felt the move was made in response to the increasing popularity of soccer among refugees, many of them black, who had settled in the area after fleeing war-torn countries. At the time, a boys soccer team called the Fugees practiced on the field. The controversy made local and national news, and it eventually became the subject of a bestselling book.

When ATL UTD was founded in 2014, the franchise, perhaps recognizing the importance of the sport to the area, intended to locate its headquarters, a training facility and a 3,500-seat stadium in DeKalb County. But just before construction, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation discovered that the site, located on a former landfill, posed an "ongoing risk." The cost to excavate the landfill was estimated at $20 million, so the franchise moved to the more affluent suburb of Marietta.

The decision to relocate exacerbated what was already a fundamentally unequal system of youth soccer in the A. Though the sport is cheap to play, it is expensive to play competitively. Most Georgia Soccer clubs require annual fees that can tally up to as much as $1,400 per child. According to Lauren Glancy, director of youth programs at Soccer in the Streets, Atlanta's youth soccer landscape has a high barrier to entry, which removes the focus from a child's talent and places it on the economic class of their home. "Clubs rely heavily on the pay-to-play structure, which excludes families that cannot afford access," she says. "There are local Atlanta clubs that provide scholarship and financial aid opportunities, but clubs still rely heavily on the payments from families that can afford to pay."

Travel is essential to youth soccer participation. And it only gets costlier as the competition level stiffens. In the Classic and Athena divisions, teams travel—typically county-to-county, or city-to-city. At the National level—one below Mateyo's level—teams compete in elite showcases out of state. (Georgia is in a conference with North Carolina and South Carolina.)

Loewy knows the challenges of being an aspiring young, black, poor footballer intimately. He was born in Liberia, raised in South Atlanta. Twenty years ago, he tried to join an official youth club, but his mom couldn't afford the fees. So Loewy painted fields with his mother and grandmother after each game to circumvent the dues.

That experience moved Loewy to help Mateyo. "The majority of kids at Atlanta United, their parents are driving Lexuses," Lowey says. "One parent drives a Bentley coupe. So you have the range of salary gaps from millionaire who can provide the best equipment, get his kid there on time, take him to games, give him the best resources needed to be a pro, and then you have Betwel, [who] has to fend for himself."

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Mateyo stands behind the Mini Pitch's thick gating, entranced by his friends playing on the field. He's a spectator right now because of a sore groin, though he's aching to play. As he looks on longingly, his vision locked on the action on the pitch, he talks fondly about the sport he loves. He began playing soccer at age eight, he says, but didn't touch an official ball until he arrived in America at age 10. "[In Eritrea], we make [balls] out of socks," he says. "We keep putting some stuff inside and make it like a soccer ball."

He isn't concerned with ethnic disparities nor with any of the local politics that have sullied his favorite sport. One day he wants to play for this country—his new country, the United States, that is.

"We don't have national team in Eritrea, so I want to play national team USA," he says.

Mateyo's refrain mirrors that of other black kids in Atlanta, such as Dwayne Carter Jr. and his sister, Essence. ("I will help shut opponents down for the [U.S.] women's team!" Essence says. "Like, lead counterattacks, everything.") Mateyo's success—like the successes of other black and immigrant talent—will take a village. It will take more people like Loewy, to be sure. But it will also take efforts like those of Soccer in the Streets.

The future of Atlanta soccer is also the future of American soccer. The success of Mateyo is linked to the success of Dwayne Jr., which is connected to the success of Essence. Both Loewy and Dolores say that soccer's future in this country depends on increasing awareness and inclusion of African American boys and girls. Soccer in the Streets aims to offer complimentary training and competition to underserved communities that lack access to sports-based youth development programs.

"Atlanta is really the perfect place [to grow soccer]," says Dolores. "Black culture in Atlanta is progressive—from the music to fashion."

You can feel that progressivism the moment you set foot at Five Points station. After one match, the players decide to run it back. It's a mixed crowd: Of the five young men, three are Latino, one is black and the other is of Middle Eastern descent. One sports a blue France World Cup jersey; another wears the red and black stripes, reppin' his home team, ATL UTD. At this moment, race holds zero weight. Neither does financial status. There's just a felt affinity for a sport that's got the city turnt all the way up.

       

Bonsu Thompson is a contributing writer for B/R Mag and a media and marketing producer from the planet Brooklyn. He was previously editor-in-chief of The Source, creative consultant for MTV2 and senior writer at Slam. His script for the short film Story Ave recently won an award at the 2018 Manhattan Film Festival. Follow him on Twitter (@DreamzRreal) and Instagram (@Bonsudreamz).

ATLANTA — "We have a different kind of religion."    

It's 4:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and a man in a pope's hat and striped necktie is explaining his attire ("It's a marriage of church and state") while proffering Jell-O shots in a railroad-adjacent parking lot called The Gulch. His name is Chris Lopez, he bought season tickets three-and-a-half years ago for Atlanta United—an MLS team that just finished its first season—and he's also holding a scepter capped by a soccer ball in the middle of a cross.

"I wanted something to lead my flock with," he says, gesturing to the people munching on various grilled items and sipping adult beverages around him in the shadow of the brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "I'll take them to the promised land: the win."

Unfortunately, neither Lopez nor his cohort of merry volunteer cheerleaders were able to deliver a win in Thursday's elimination game against Columbus Crew SC. Atlanta—or #ATLUTD for the social media savvy—lost on penalty kicks after regulation and overtime play wound up scoreless. It was an uncharacteristically quiet game for the team, who had the second-most goals in MLS during the regular season—the fans, though, continued to be some of the loudest not just in MLS, but also in U.S. sports.

A city with a reputation for sports apathy has, seemingly inexplicably, become proof that mainstream professional soccer in the U.S might not be such a far-fetched idea after all.

"It's more amped-up than at Atlanta Falcons games, and sometimes there are even more people," says Corey, 30, who's been working security since the opening of the Benz. Atlanta United fans have long been making headlines: The expansion team was announced in April 2014, and by December 2015, the team had sold 29,000 season tickets. This was a year-and-a-half before the team's first kickoff.

In its debut season, the team has broken records for single-game MLS attendance (twice), single-season attendance and, on Thursday, postseason MLS attendance. A total of 67,221 people attended the game—or just about 3,000 fewer than watched the Falcons lose to the Miami Dolphins in the same stadium at the NFL team's last home game.

Those impressive numbers might seem extra unlikely given that the Southeast just got a team in 2015 (Orlando) after losing two teams from Florida in 2001. "As a kid, there was no soccer around me—no rec leagues, no anything," explains native Atlantan Curtis Jenkins, 38, co-founder of the supporter group Footie Mob. By day, he's a fire marshal. "I remember in '96 when they were launching MLS. It was like, 'OK, Atlanta's gotta be on the list, right? We just had the Olympics!'"

Instead, it earned the questionable distinction of becoming one of the largest U.S. cities without an MLS team. Jenkins looked across the pond, becoming a Premier League fan after a colleague inspired him to watch the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Then the team was announced, and he had an idea: Footie Mob, a play on the name of classic Atlanta rap group Goodie Mob. He mentioned it to a friend as a joke but started scooping up all the necessary handles and licenses of a 21st-century organization. The club is now one of the four primary Atlanta United supporters groups and boasts around 770 members. "That surprised the f--k out of me—anybody who tells you they aren't surprised by the fans is lying," Jenkins says. "By the fourth tailgate, we realized: This isn't going anywhere. And it just kind of blew up from there."

The group's name is more than just a play on words; it's an example of how Jenkins wants to connect the city's long hip-hop history with its newest team. Their chants are riffs on OutKast, Ghost Town DJs and Childish Gambino; their custom scarves—"We Ready," "Never Scared"—the names of local anthems.

"I love music and music is such a big part of Atlanta," Jenkins adds. "I just want to keep sneaking Atlanta culture in." He sees hip-hop embracing the team just as he's pushing its fans to embrace the music. "It's always happened whenever an Atlanta team gets good—in the first OutKast video (released shortly after the Braves won two NL pennants in a row), Andre [3000]'s wearing a Braves jersey."

"Man, it's dope to add another professional sports team—and they're good too!" says OutKast's Big Boi. "It ain't like you got the B-team. You got a real contender." He hasn't attended a game yet thanks to a busy fall of promoting his newest album Boomiverse but has recorded a few in-game promos ("Stand up!" "Make some noise!") for his local team. "Somebody sent me a video of them playing 'The Way You Move' during the soccer game—you know that s--t will rock anything."

Music is one way that the team embeds Atlanta culture into its game-day experience—Archie Eversole joined Thursday to hammer the Golden Spike during a rendition of "We Ready" (also the basis of one of the team's most popular chants), which the crowd later reprised with cellphone flashlights in the air. The team was introduced to Shawty Lo's "Dey Know." But it goes beyond hip-hop (a practically endless fount of hometown pride for ATLiens).

Everything from Coca-Cola to Atlanta gets soccer-ified at the match, filling the stands with almost as many local cultural artifacts as people standing and screaming (and they did stand and scream—for all 90 minutes, and overtime, and the penalty kicks). The crowd loves to chant its name—"WE...ARE...UNITED"—which seems like an implied reaction to the increasingly diverse metropolis.

"The city is growing, expanding—you add the soccer team, that's a whole other element," says Big Boi. "Just more life and excitement to Atlanta. Big-time cultural diversity."

That diversity even shows up within the supporters groups, though you won't see Los 12 de Atlanta listed on the team's site. The name is emblazoned on the giant bass drums that they bring into the Benz, though, and they're as easy to find as any of the other tailgating groups in The Gulch, blasting Latin Trap and grilling. They're front and center in the supporters section, too.

"It's not quite the same," says Gabriel, 29, one of the drummers who hails from Mendoza, Argentina, alluding to the fact that no matter how groundbreaking Atlanta fans are stateside, they're far from the raucous crowds in his home country.

He and many of the other members of Los 12 were inspired to come to games by the presence of fellow Argentine Tata Martino, who manages Atlanta United. As the supporters groups begin their (highly structured) march to the stadium, they pick up Los 12 along the way, chanting, "Vamos, vamos, A-T-L!"

On a more stick-to-sports level, United fans just want a championship for the city—any championship—especially after the Falcons' Super Bowl...well, you know what happened.

"I'm a superstitious Atlanta fan who's waiting for the one thing that's going to go wrong. I told my girlfriend at the time, 'Don't cheer yet, it's only halftime'...and afterwards, I said: 'You're not from Atlanta. I knew this was going to happen.' This [United] season's gotten me through that," says Jenkins. "Like, 'I've got something else'—it's been like that for a lot of people."

"Indeed, it's been a minute," Big Boi adds, sighing.

https://twitter.com/WhistleFC/status/923722926242885634

Even though Atlanta United won't be taking the chip this year, the team's runaway success both on the field and off has tapped into an aspect of its city's culture that appears to have been lying dormant. MARTA cars have Atlanta United wraps. Bud Light Atlanta United billboards dot roadsides. The convenience store clerk wearing a Chelsea kit will tell you that, yes, he's going to the game because he loves all soccer and he's excited to have a team. The players feel the energy, and that made their feelings about being done until next season that much more heartfelt.

"It's just amazing to play in front of this crowd on a weekly basis. It's just indescribable," defender Michael Parkhurst told media after the game. "We couldn't ask for more from the city of Atlanta than what we've gotten this year."

An eight-year veteran of MLS, Parkhurst concluded: "Hopefully they come back next year."

John Hackworth can't forget the first time he saw Andrew Carleton. It was November 2014, and Hackworth was running his first camp as the new coach of the United States Under-15 boys' squad.

Early in the session, Carleton, whom Hackworth hadn't seen play before the camp, took a long, diagonal pass from across the field. With time and space, Carleton had a chance to play it forward, the type of smart and simple play a manager would appreciate. He didn't. At the last second, Carleton jumped up and contorted his torso. The ball slammed off his back, leading to a turnover. Hackworth, shocked and confused, continued the session but made a mental note to question Carleton about the poor decision in a vulnerable part of the field.

During a water break a few minutes later, Hackworth approached the teenager and asked him what, exactly, he was trying to do. Two-and-a-half years later, Hackworth remembers the exact response. "He said, 'Coach, I watched Cristiano Ronaldo do it, and I just had to try it,'" Hackworth, now the U.S. U-17 coach, tells B/R. "That's very indicative of Andrew. He has that creative imagination. And he wants to have fun. He plays soccer with a smile on his face."

All Hackworth could do was laugh. "You don't run into many kids who try that in their first training session with the new national team coach," Hackworth says. "I had to like the confidence that he had right away." Four months later, Carleton would score seven goals in five matches, helping the U.S. win the Tournament delle Nazioni over national squads from countries including Brazil, England, Italy and Mexico.

Carleton's flair—and the belief that he can be as creative as he imagines—have made the 17-year-old Atlanta United FC attacker one of the most tantalizing young talents in Major League Soccer. "He's the most dangerous and dynamic attacking player I've ever coached or seen on the youth level," Georgia United Soccer Alliance coach Dave Smith says about the two years he spent working with the stick-thin Georgia native.

Michael Anhaeuser, who coached Carleton last season when he was on loan to the United Soccer League's Charleston Battery, agrees. "You almost compare [his confidence] to Christian Pulisic's," Anhaeuser says. "He kind of has that same demeanor."

"What a moment for a 16-year-old." Huge ovation for Powder Springs' Andrew Carleton making his pro debut for @ATLUTD.#UniteAndConquer pic.twitter.com/bbFzkz25xC

— FanDuel Sports Network South (@FanDuelSN_SO) May 21, 2017

Yet, unlike Pulisic, who developed his game in the States but earned his breakout half a world away at Borussia Dortmund, Carleton is emerging at home. The kid is already a star in Atlanta, winning a standing ovation from a crowd of 45,000 at Bobby Dodd Stadium simply for stepping onto the field when he made his MLS debut in May. He's taken a leading role for Hackworth's U-17 team, a squad that could contend for the age group World Cup title in October.

If Carleton continues along his current trajectory, he might change American soccer and become the first true homegrown star to lead an MLS team. He's the latest—and best—sign that the bright future of American men's soccer, promised for so long, may finally be just around the bend.

---

Millions of kids say they want to be professional soccer players. Andrew Carleton, born six months into the new millennium, became an active participant in that effort at an early age.

At 10, he told his parents he wanted to be home-schooled so he could focus on developing his skills. According to Carleton, his parents supported the decision, and his mom, who has a teacher's license, was "happy to chase the dream with me." He'd train in the morning, do online courses in the afternoon and then train again at night. (His two younger brothers, now ages 10 and 12, are following in his path, home-schooling while one plays for a local youth club and the other for Atlanta United's academy. Sister Erin, 15, has participated in two national team training camps as well.)

After a few years of playing on his own near his Powder Springs home about 20 miles outside of Atlanta, Carleton joined Georgia United, a local feeder program for U.S. youth national teams. Smith, the club's executive director and a coach, remembers Carleton's first U-16 practice. "He stood out from the very beginning: his quickness, his technical ability, his movement," Smith says. "The very first time I saw him, just as you walked up to watch the field you could see there was something different. He just has a presence when he's on the field. He's very dynamic with the way he plays. He's always looking to make something happen in the attacking end of the field."

During the two years Smith worked with Carleton, he saw dozens of moments that shocked him, displays of skill and creativity that made the coach almost feel bad for the opposition. But it was a failed attempt that stands out most.

Georgia United's U-16 team had traveled to Vancouver to play the Whitecaps in the quarterfinal of the Development Academy playoffs. The atmosphere was intense, and the animosity directed toward Carleton's team only grew after he scored on a free kick to put Georgia United ahead. A few minutes later, he picked up the ball at midfield, dribbled around a couple of defenders and then attempted to score on a chip from 50 yards. Only a last-ditch, scrambling effort from the goalkeeper kept the ball out of the back of the net.

Carleton didn't score, but he did win over the crowd. "Even though they were against us, the entire stadium reacted," Smith says. "They went nuts."

That type of audacity is in short supply in American men's soccer, where athleticism and effort traditionally are in greater supply than technical ability. Even if Carleton doesn't pull off the same move as Ronaldo or score from 50 yards out, his willingness to try is a necessary part of his development, and that of U.S. soccer as well. "When you try to pull off the kind of stuff that he tries to pull off, you have to be OK with failing," Hackworth says. "That's the hardest part for coaches and players—to say, 'It's OK to fail,' but that's how you grow. You have to take that and you have to love it."

How to impress Tata 👇 pic.twitter.com/RmXcQEU2bm

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) February 26, 2017

Until a few years ago, a kid like Carleton might have gotten lost. His local MLS club, after all, didn't exist. But now, as the professional soccer landscape develops in the U.S., more options present themselves. Last June, he signed with Atlanta United as its first homegrown player. In turn, he was loaned to the club's USL partner, the Charleston Battery, where he could gain experience against pros twice his age.

The step up didn't deter the teen, as Anhaeuser, the club's coach, discovered in Carleton's first practice. "[Andrew] did a double stepover, then turned sideways and tried to nutmeg one of my older players," Anhaeuser says. "He got kicked up in the air. But then he came back and tried it again five minutes later. And the second time he jumped out of the tackle. Right there showed he had a little bit of confidence on the field to not be scared."

Carleton only played four games for the Battery, tallying a single assist. He started the 2017 campaign bouncing between Atlanta United and the U.S. U-17 squads. In May, he helped Hackworth's team qualify for the World Cup. He scored twice: a cheeky chip in the qualification stage against Cuba and a blistering strike in the CONCACAF U-17 final versus Mexico.

Hackworth called Carleton one of his "core players," noting a level of improved leadership that earned the teenager the captain's armband on a recent trip to Argentina. "He's a better decision-maker, and he's much more well-rounded," Hackworth says. "The biggest thing that I've seen out of him is that he can play in transition moments now and really be impactful on both sides of the ball. Before, when we'd have it and lose it, there was a little bit of a time where he would turn off. That's natural for a young player. Andrew doesn't switch off now. He's as good getting the ball back so he can go forward to goal."

Two weeks after his impressive run at the CONCACAF Championship, Carleton earned his MLS debut, coming on for Miguel Almiron in the 86th minute of a match against the Houston Dynamo. "I couldn't understand what anybody was really saying," Carleton recalls of the moment. "I just remember thinking that this is what I worked every day for. Once I got on the pitch, it was just soccer, something I'd played for 16 years. I knew what to do."

The first time he touched the ball, he got fouled. Then he got right back up and kept pressing forward.

Carleton is far from a finished product. All the coaches who spoke to B/R for this story said he needs to improve his decision-making and better understand the risks that come from bad turnovers after ambitious attempts. It's one thing to try a series of stepovers, fail and lose the ball 90 yards from your net; it's quite another to do it at midfield when your team lacks the defensive shape to respond. But it's a balance to infuse a bit of responsibility without discouraging the magic. "He is a strong enough personality where I feel like no one is ever going to take that away from him," Hackworth says.

His progress as a professional has been slow by design. He's made the game-day 18 only four times for the MLS club as the Atlanta coaching staff works closely with Hackworth and U.S. Soccer to ensure Carleton is not overwhelmed. (The specter of Freddy Adu and his unmet expectations still hangs over talented young Americans.) Carleton will build toward October's World Cup and then refocus his efforts on Atlanta United during preseason next year.

Of course, there are the unavoidable discussions about moving to Europe. He says he'd like to play in the Champions League one day—that it's "every professional soccer player's dream"—but unlike almost everything else in his soccer career, a trip across the pond hasn't been fast-tracked. "I grew up here," he says. "I know the city. I know the environment. I get to live at home. [It's just] being in a comfort zone but being able to play against guys who take you out of your comfort zone on the field, and who can push you to a limit."

More than any numbers he puts up this summer, Carleton's appearance on an MLS roster promises something more—that there is a path to soccer stardom for Americans if they stay home.

"One of my dreams is to show people that there's a way coming out of Atlanta and in the U.S. … I want to show people that the United States is coming along and going to be able to develop top professional soccer players," Carleton says. "To be able to show that you don't necessarily have to go to Europe at 15, 16, 17 years old to be a top-of-the-line player."

Dreams no longer. pic.twitter.com/K7bRxv4TQp

— Andrew Carleton (@andrewcarleton7) May 22, 2017

Carleton is indeed a work in progress, but he's a lot further along than most who preceded him. The day after his MLS first-team debut, Carleton posted a photo on Twitter. It shows him about to step onto the field for the first time, engulfed in an embrace from Almiron. The back of his jersey reads "Carleton," his number 30 and his red hair visible. The caption on the photo says, "Dreams no longer."

The kid made it, following a path that seems less impossible by the day. How many 10-year-olds are out there right now, ready to follow it, inspired to follow him? More than we may think.