Atlanta United’s thrilling run in the MLS Cup Playoffs is over. Now comes the offseason, and needless to say, this will be a much different looking team in 2025: new general manager, new head coach (I don’t think Rob Valentino will get the permanent job), new players.
Of immediate concern, though, is the club’s year-end roster decisions, due on Wednesday by 1 p.m. Atlanta has a host of players that are set to be out of contract or have option years for 2025. That said, other players could find themselves departing the club by other means, whether that’s via outgoing transfer, during the half-day trade window on December 9, or the half-day trade window on December 11. So who are the key names to keep an eye on?
Staying
Brad Guzan (signed through 2024; option for 2025)
Guzan made no secret about his plans for 2025 after the loss to Orlando.
“I want to keep playing,” he said.
I’m sure the front office would be open to bringing him back for one last go-around on a contract reduced from the $612,500 he made in 2024. But will they, given they have Josh Cohen set to (presumably) take over as the No. 1 starter eventually? I’m much more on board with that idea than I was earlier in the year.
Ronald Hernandez (signed through 2024; option for 2025)
Hernandez had a solid performance in the MLS Cup Playoffs when called upon. He’s cut a bit of a controversial figure among the fanbase, but he’s been praised internally for his leadership inside the locker room and on the training ground. My initial thought was that Lagerwey and the front office would be keen to bring in another option to play behind Brooks Lennon on a little bit of a reduced budget charge, but with Lennon unavailable for the first part of next season, it might be worth picking up Hernandez’s option.
Jay Fortune (signed through 2024; options for 2025 and 2026)
Fortune has emerged as a player that could be a mainstay in Atlanta’s midfield for the forseeable future. Rob Valentino showed immense trust in the Homegrown Player even after Tristan Muyumba’s injury, and he largely delivered. There are some rough edges to sand out (as there is with every young player) but he’s earned a longer-term deal with the club.
Efrain Morales (signed through 2024; options for 2025 and 2026)
Atlanta’s center back depth wasn’t an issue in 2024, and they didn’t have to plug Morales in too often during the season outside of extreme circumstances. The Homegrown Player received much of his playing time with ATL UTD 2 where he played in 15 games and eventually will be in a place where he can receive more first-team soccer. Easy call to bring him back (I think, especially if Luis Abram leaves the club). Speaking of…
Going
Luis Abram (signed through 2025; option for 2026)
Abram is making too much money (just under $872K) for the relatively limited contributions he’s made to Atlanta United, making his contract a boondoggle and a reminder of the propensity of the Bocanegra-led front office to overpay players. His deal will make his difficult to trade within the league, so I’d expect a South American team (maybe in his native Peru) would be a good landing spot for him.
Jamal Thiare (signed through 2024; option for 2025)
Atlanta made a bit of a gamble on Thiare when they signed him last August on a season-and-a-half long TAM contract. But injury concerns and inconsistency have plagued his time with the team, and it wouldn’t be worth bringing him back when you can bring someone better in as a backup striker. (He did bring us one of the most memorable moments of 2024 with his last-minute goal at home against Toronto FC.)
It certainly looks as if Thiare’s gone judging by a post on X:
Daniel Rios (on loan from Chivas through 2024 season)
I thought the Daniel Rios loan deal was a good one: he had MLS experience and was a low-risk proposition coming from Chivas. But it was essentially done with Thiare’s injury history in mind, and his impact, while good, was somewhat limited in his time with the team. He’ll be back with Chivas in 2025.
Tyler Wolff (signed through 2024; option for 2025)
For whatever reason, it hasn’t quite come together for Wolff during his time with Atlanta. He’s certainly had some good moments, but those have been relatively few and far between — not to mention he hasn’t been able to get onto the field. I thought he’d take a leap from his 2023 season, but it’s probably best for him to find another landing spot.
Tristan Muyumba (signed through 2026; option for 2027)
In another universe, Muyumba wouldn’t even approach this list. But the Muyumba we saw when he first arrived isn’t the Muyumba we’ve seen this season: his run of form dipped significantly and he fell firmly outside of Rob Valentino’s plans after his return from injury as Jay Fortune emerged as a late-season starter. It’s a little tough to see him returning in 2025 — it might be best to shop him around and invest what you would have been paying him to improve other areas of the roster. At the very least, it won’t be a surprise if Atlanta leaves him exposed for the expansion draft next month.
Erik Centeno (signed through 2024; option for 2025 and 2026)
Centeno’s contributions over the last few seasons have been limited to ATL UTD 2, and it’s likely he and the club will part ways as he seeks to advance his career.
Quentin Westberg (signed through 2024)
In an unsurprising development, Westberg retired on Tuesday. Perhaps he remains with Atlanta in a coaching capacity — we’ll see.
Dax McCarty (signed through 2024; option for 2025)
Not much to add here: Sunday was McCarty’s final professional match. A disappointing regular season gave away to a terrific playoff run, and he was a key part of that.
Santiago Sosa and Franco Ibarra (signed through 2024; option for 2025 and 2026)
It sounds as if Racing Club is keen to pick up Sosa’s purchase option for 2025, so official word should be coming soon. Things have been a little quieter regarding Ibarra, but he’s not coming back to Atlanta.
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Not sure I would disrupt the roster as much as noted here. Muyumba should stay. His cap charge isn’t egregious and he provides valuable depth at worst.
I would also potentiallt keep Abram, even at that cap charge. Depth with Gregersen being injury prone is not a bad thing. He isn’t spectacular, but pretty solid. The “however” is that if you can bring in a proven and established veteran to replace him, you do. But only after you secure that role.
Muyumba was solid last year but always felt like he was lost or too confident this year, losing the ball too much and not getting much recovery. Probably why Fortune was playing more towards the end. But Muyumba and Xande both were excellent last season but similarly “lost” this year. Makes me wonder what happened…or what is going to happen.
Hope to see an expansion draft article soon! We are going to have to expose some players we really want to keep.
I think Muyumba will stick around with the team if he isn’t picked in the expansion draft. But I think Abram is more likely to get pick up in the expansion draft, since there is usually a demand for left footed CB