United bypassing known veterans for talented youth

Recent signings show team has an eye on the future.

Atlanta United’s signings of Hector Villalba, Brandon Vazquez and Miguel Almiron have been described by some reporting on Major League Soccer as ushering in a new era for the league.

Rather than signing known, older players in the twilight of their careers in moves that are often as much about marketing as winning games, Atlanta United has chosen to avoid the “dead money” approach and invest in youth with an eye on increasing the chance of success on the field.

It’s a vision that Atlanta United President Darren Eales laid out when he was hired two years ago and hasn’t wavered from as the team builds a roster ahead of its inaugural 2017 season.

“Our vision was to be more like clubs are in the rest of the world, to attract that talent in its prime and to think of acquiring players from the start and as assets for the future,” Eales said.

Eales wants a club that he hopes will be competitive in the short term — Seattle was the last expansion club to make the playoffs in its first year in 2009 — but seeks more sustained success in the medium and long term. Though there are a number of ways to accomplish that goal, Eales, technical director Carlos Bocanegra and director of soccer operations Paul McDonough believe in youth, whether that is signing younger players and/ or bringing more players through the academy.

Almiron, capped seven times by Paraguay, is just 22 and was courted by Arsenal and Chelsea. Villalba is 22. Vazquez is 18. Two more 16-year-old players, Andrew Carleton and Chris Goslin, were signed from the team’s academy.

Eales said he doesn’t know if Atlanta United’s signings represent a change for MLS and how some of new teams have built their rosters. There are a few teams that are trying to court younger players in their prime but few have been able to sell those players on playing in the U.S. vs. Europe.

Eales implied that solving that issue is a matter of time as the league improves on the field and in prestige. MLS averaged a league-record 21,692 fans per home game during in 2016.

“It’s getting more credibility,” he said.

Eales said the support the Atlanta team is receiving from its fans, who have set a league record for an expansion team with more than 22,000 season tickets purchased; from owner Arthur Blank; and the credibility of manager Gerardo Martino (formerly manager of Barcelona and Argentina and Bocanegra and former captain of the U.S. men’s national team), has been huge in acquiring players such as Almiron.

“They want to come to Atlanta to be part of that excitement with our fan base,” Eales said of attracting players. “If they develop their careers and a top club came in for them, that’s good for everybody.”