Soccer was thought to be first introduced to the United States through Ellis Island in the 1870s, but recent research has proved that it first came through New Orleans in the 1850s. Scottish, Irish, and German immigrants brought the game with them, and the first organized soccer games with English rules were held in New Orleans. From there, many national soccer organizations, or governing bodies, were formed but failed, many due to the Great Depression.
The North American Soccer League was formed in 1968 and lasted 16 years until 1984, when it became over expanded, lost too many teams, and went bankrupt. The sport’s current highest league, Major League Soccer league (MLS), was formed eleven years later in 1995.
The league consisted of 21 teams from both the United States and Canada until April 16, 2014, when Arthur Blank announced the 22nd team to join MLS: Atlanta United FC. Blank, who also owns the Atlanta Falcons football team, officially announced its name and logo on July 7, 2015. The team is expected to have its opening season in the fall of 2017, and the logo is the capital letter A, with red, gold, and black as the colors.
On Aug. 4, 2015, Dekalb county was chosen for the location of the training facilities among three options, the others being in Marietta county and in Douglas county. The county is providing around 41 acres of land for the team to build their headquarters, three practice fields, and a 3,500 person stadium. In return, the team will pay the county about 15 percent of the revenue earned.
“We are very pleased to call DeKalb County home,” Atlanta United President Darren Eales stated on their website. “This location will not only provide the space, functionality and flexibility we need for our first team and youth academy, but it also allows us to truly become part of the fabric of the community. We are excited to be able to share the Atlanta United experience with our supporters and neighbors.”
AMB Sports & Entertainment announced Aug. 24, 2015 that Mercedes-Benz is the naming partner for the new Atlanta stadium, which is now officially named the Mercedes-Benz stadium, and that this stadium is going to be shared between the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta’s professional football team, and Atlanta United.
The team is also looking to start a youth development academy by December 2016. They want to capitalize on the state of Georgia’s “hotbed of talent,” as Eales said at the unveiling on July 7.
Most Atlantan soccer fans have been very positive and supportive of this new team, but there has been some criticism over a very important feature of the team: the name. These critics believe that the name of the team, Atlanta United FC, is too unoriginal, too overdone, and too European. Jimmy Conrad, a former US Men’s National Team defender, tweeted, “We call it soccer. It’s called Major League Soccer. They should be soccer clubs. SC. Let’s own it.” As another fan put it on Twitter, “I can’t believe they went with ‘United’ when everyone knows Atlanta is a Delta hub.” Despite these criticisms, there is lots of support for the team from fans across the city, who are looking forward to packing the Mercedes-Benz stadium in 2017, no matter the name.
