Chris Henderson named Atlanta United CSO, sporting director

Chris Henderson’s long-anticipated move to Atlanta United has been made official.

The veteran MLS executive, who served as Garth Lagerwey’s right-hand man for nearly a decade with the Seattle Sounders, was named Atlanta’s chief soccer officer and sporting director, the club announced on Monday. Henderson will meet the Atlanta media on Tuesday.

“Chris has experience building consistent, winning teams in this league and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the club as our new Sporting Director,” Lagerwey said in a statement. “His illustrious career and vast experience was something we valued in this hiring process and he was someone who immediately rose to the top of our search. He understands all the nuances that MLS roster building brings and I’m excited to see him play a pivotal role in helping us bring that consistent winner to Atlanta.”

Henderson previously spent nearly 4 years in the same role at Inter Miami, but a reunion with his former boss in Atlanta had been speculated after Atlanta parted ways with Carlos Bocanegra. A restructuring of the Miami front office that essentially left Henderson the odd man out further fueled that speculation.

Henderson originally joined the Sounders in 2008 as one of their initial hires as an MLS club, with Lagerwey coming on board in December 2014 after a successful stint at Real Salt Lake. The duo saw the Sounders win MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and while Seattle’s CONCACAF Champions League triumph in 2022 postdated Henderson, his work to get the club to that point was evident.

Now, Lagerwey and Henderson will join forces in Atlanta as the club looks to regain prominence in MLS.

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