Thoughts from Chris Henderson’s introductory press conference with Atlanta United

Many folks have reached out and noted that the stream online for Atlanta United’s press conference with newly hired sporting director Chris Henderson and president Garth Lagerwey had some technical issues. This article was already planned for today but I’ll pivot a tad and offer up my thoughts from the event based on the information Chris and Garth offered to the media.

We’ll start with the massive elephant in the room: the coaching search. Soon. Very soon. Within the next couple of weeks.

Hiring Chris Henderson meant that the coaching portion of the search had to be pushed back ever so slightly, but thankfully the coaching hire will be the final aspect of a leadership rebuild. While Chris Henderson mentioned today that he wants to get the new players – including the DPs – in place with plenty of time to gel in the preseason, Garth reminded everyone of his methodical approach.

“I said from the beginning I may frustrate people with how deliberate I am,” he explained, the fans’ collective impatience not lost on him. However, he’d go on to describe why he’s so optimistic about the future now that he’s been able to bring in guys like Javier Perez as Director of Methodology back in the summer, David Tenney as Director of High Performance last week, and now Chris Henderson as Chief of Soccer Operations/Sporting Director. Cap that off with an incoming competitive coach and Garth himself, and Atlanta United is looking at over 100 collective years worth of experience helping make high level decisions – like impactful player acquisitions. Call them the five pillars of the five stripes, if you will.

Henderson also gave his opinion on the U-22 spots. We’d recently heard from Garth that the U-22 roster mechanism, while important, isn’t a huge focus of his at this point. Henderson explained that any potential incoming U-22 players would be subject to a very selective process, including how they can immediately impact the team and whether or not they can continue to grow under the mentorship of more experienced players. Garth has made it a point to trim a ton of the prior regime’s fat in terms of roster problems, cap space, and bad contracts (he mentioned 2023, when the club technically had four U-22s), and Chris Henderson echoed those thoughts.

Specifically, Henderson described his approach to how the roster should be built. Having depth isn’t enough; the team needs meaningful depth. He described the club as clearly having all the resources necessary to bring in players who will significantly contribute in a way that Atlanta United can realistically compete in every single competition. Basically, no more warm bodies filling spots on the roster, or worse, the bench.

Lagerwey also stated that this year’s playoff run to the conference semifinals is the floor, the minimum for the entire club to achieve – though he did note that the squad has to be more consistently in the “win” column at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We all know that winning home games is non-negotiable, because those MLS teams who handle business in front of their own fans tend to have a simpler pathway into the playoffs. He praised this year’s postseason run, but said there is so much room to grow and establish a trophy-contending team in 2025 and the hiring of Henderson is the “first step” to fulfilling his promise of remaking the club in the offseason.

It’s worth noting that Garth also mentioned it may be a couple of transfer windows before the whole squad is entirely where he and Henderson would like it, but he also reaffirmed his commitment to bringing in an absolutely world class striker to compliment Alexey Miranchuk and Saba Lobjanidze. His belief is that adding the right pieces up top will make that group better than the sum of its parts, as it’ll open up Alexey to play incisive passes while guys like a speedy, top-tier striker and Saba make runs in behind.

I also asked the pair to explain how their working relationship will play out in terms of responsibilities, and Garth said that Chris will be entirely in charge of everything related to soccer operations. However, they’ll both take insight from each other and the other leaders in the club, cautioning against placing them in their own individual buckets just because of a title. Garth has made these recent acquisitions because they all bring very clear and obvious talents to the table, and he praised Arthur Blank for providing the resources to go and make these hires when the right people became available.

Finally, both Chris and Garth shared their respect for each other, noting how far back they go as friends and coworkers. Garth praised Chris for building the Seattle Sounders organization into what it was even prior to his arrival, explaining that much of that success belongs to Henderson. Sticking with one of Arthur Blank’s core principles, though, Lagerwey said that first and foremost Chris is simply “a great guy,” a statement that Chris reciprocated.

Overall, it’s an exciting moment for Atlanta United. Another one of these articles is likely around the corner, when the club finally makes the head coach hire, but in the meantime Henderson is set to hit the ground running. Fans are understandably impatient, waiting for news and rumors on signings to pop daily, but it’s expected to ramp up as we roll towards the new year. If 2025 is a successful (read: trophy) season, no one will think twice about how quiet that rumor mill was at the end of 2024.

Let us know below what ya think!