Bloom enjoying life back home in Atlanta

TORONTO — Mark Bloom circled the date on his calendar as soon as the Major League Soccer schedule came out.

The former Toronto FC defender returns to BMO Field on Saturday, this time as a member of expansion Atlanta United.

“I kind of left in a hurry so it will be nice to come back and see everybody once again in not such a rushed state,” said Bloom. “(I’m) looking forward to the experience ... I’m excited.”

Bloom’s four-year stint in Toronto ended abruptly in December when TFC traded him to Atlanta to get starting goalkeeper Clint Irwin back after the Georgia team took him in the expansion draft.

Atlanta (2-1-1) is actually above Toronto (1-0-3) in the standings despite the fact that Toronto is one of only three unbeaten teams in the league, along with FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City.

“It’s definitely a club that’s doing it right, just like Toronto is,” Bloom said of Atlanta.

The new franchise is owned by Arthur Blank, who counts the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons among his holdings. “Great guy,” said Bloom.

A new stadium is slated to open in late July and Atlanta United’s new training centre just opened in Marietta.

“It’s a lot like Toronto’s except nicer and newer,” Bloom said of the training ground.

Atlanta has been a hit on and off the field, drawing a total of 101,219 to its first two home games at its temporary home of Bobby Dodd stadium, where the Georgia Tech football team plays.

While the 29-year-old Bloom enjoyed his time in Toronto, the move to Atlanta took him back to his roots. He grew up in nearby Marietta and went to Berry College, about an hour northwest of Atlanta. Bloom also played for the Atlanta Silverbacks before being loaned to Toronto.

The move also takes him closer to wife Emma, a Navy lieutenant stationed in Pensacola, Fla., and their two daughters. They had been doing the long-distance thing in Toronto.

Emma’s navy stint is due to finish in August and the family will finally be together in Atlanta, where Bloom has just bought a house. In the meantime their commute is a five-hour drive rather than a cross-border flight.

Bloom started 26 games in 2014 for Toronto but was hurt late in the season in a collision that left Will Johnson with a badly broken leg and Bloom with a damaged meniscus.

Bloom finished out the year but needed knee surgery in the off-season.

He believes the knee may have led to a quadriceps injury that forced him to miss all of 2015. Bloom underwent surgery to repair the torn quadriceps, followed by six months of rest and rehab.

“An unfortunate series of events,” he said.