What kind of technical director will Chris Henderson be for Atlanta United?

Chris Henderson has a massive task ahead of him.

In the eyes of the soccer world at large, he’s a respected figure, helping transition the Seattle Sounders to MLS after his arrival in 2008 and forming a powerful front-office bond with Garth Lagerwey when the latter joined from Real Salt Lake in December 2014. MLSSoccer.com’s Charlie Boehm called him “quietly but crucially effective” in a profile discussing the Sounders’ run of success, while the Seattle Times’ Jayda Evans mentioned his “soccer savvy and salesman charm” in constructing a consistent winner.

In the eyes of some Atlanta United fans, Henderson has a low bar to clear. For Carlos Bocanegra’s triumphs as technical director (even the most cynical Bocanegra detractor can admit that he had at least some of them), his position eventually became untenable after Lagerwey’s arrival in Atlanta spelled the end of Darren Eales’ “buy low, sell high” approach and bloated contracts that hamstrung the club.

In the end, the safe (and obvious) choice to replace Bocanegra was Henderson, essentially pushed out of his role with Miami in the South Florida outfit’s front office shakeup. But what was Lagerwey and Henderson’s working relationship like in the Pacific Northwest?

To a much greater extent, it’ll mirror the Eales-Bocanegra dynamic.

“It was a sort of front of house/back of house situation,” Sounder at Heart editor Jeremiah Oshan told Scarves and Spikes. “Garth has big opinions, but what he really thrives on is hiring people he trusts know how to do their job better than him. He trusts Chris in a way I know he never trusted Boca.”

That latter part became clearly evident after Gonzalo Pineda was fired as Atlanta’s head coach. While Lagerwey mentioned that he would lead the search, he all but failed to mention Bocanegra. Granted, Bocanegra was never going to be sacked the week after Lagerwey’s arrival, but with a pending contract expiration, a parting of ways was more “when” than “if”.

And, by all accounts, it sounds as if Lagerwey won’t micromanage Henderson. Not that he needs to, because the latter’s track record has been notable. Seattle won a pair of MLS Cups, four Open Cups, and a Supporters’ Shield with him in the fold, initially under Adrian Hanauer and then under Lagerwey as Hanauer eventually transitioned from minority to majority owner. While their historic Concacaf Champions Cup win in 2022 postdated Henderson, the roster was filled with players acquired under his watch.

“My guess is Garth will defer heavily to Chris on player evaluation, probably let him do a bit more deal-making but still have the more public presence,” Oshan said.

And now, Lagerwey and Henderson can go to work. A head coach announcement is expected to be a fast follow. From a roster standpoint, while a defender and attacker are atop the list, several core players are needed to round things out and position the club to outpace its results in recent years.

Among those core players should be several names that have come through the Atlanta United system: Jay Fortune and Noah Cobb already have made the most of their opportunities with the first team with players like Efra Morales among those waiting in the wings. That’s not going to end with Henderson on board; if anything, it will be further enhanced.

At the end of the day, there won’t be much of an orientation for Henderson. Remaking Atlanta United won’t be easy, but at least Lagerwey has one of his most trusted confidants on board.

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