The Five Stripes have wasted no time adding to their roster this summer.
Atlanta United has officially signed Albanian international center back Enea Mihaj, the club announced Wednesday. He joins as a free agent after his contract with Liga Portugal side F.C. Famalicão expired this summer and will be under a TAM contract through the 2028 MLS season with an option for 2029. He will be eligible to play after the MLS summer transfer window opens on July 24.
Mihaj, 26, made 29 appearances for Famalicao during the 2024/25 Liga Portugal season, where he helped the team keep 12 clean sheets. He also brings an important leadership quality, having been the club’s captain this season after just three years at the club.
With 19 caps for Albania, including six UEFA Nations League games and three World Cup qualifiers, Mihaj offers valuable international experience. He has been called up as recently as March 2025, so he could be yet another player Atlanta misses during international breaks.
What do you think of the Five Stripes’ first addition of the summer? Let us know in the comments below, and read our original article on Mihaj for more information.
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I’m very curious to see which side of the centerback pairing Mihaj is expected to fill. If he plays on the left, that overlaps with Abram and Williams (and to some degree, Morales). If he plays on the right, that overlaps with Gregersen, Cobb, Morales, and Edwards. Where he lines up in a 4-man backline could tell us a lot about the future of the CB group.
Since we signed Mihaj on a free transfer, but are reportedly compensating him at a TAM level, I would expect his pay rate to be around the $870k we are paying Abram rather than the $920k for Gregersen. Either way, TAM money for another CB means they want him to fill one of our starting spots through 2028. Abram has an option for 2026, but is likely not going to get that picked up. Gregersen is under contract through 2027 with a 2028 option. Mihaj could be the replacement for either of them.
Williams is also on an option year with one more potential year under contract in 2026 if the club decides to bring him back. Morales and Edwards both have options that need to be picked up for 2026, and Cobb is guaranteed through the end of next season.
That leaves a depth chart of Gregersen, Mihaj, Abram, Williams, Cobb, Morales, and Edwards, with Kaiden Moore becoming a HGP in 2026 and Nigel Prince also potentially returning from college to become a HGP. There could be a lot of movement at the top of this depth chart as younger players ascend and veterans are replaced.
I guess it depends on whether Atlanta will stick with the 3 CB set up in the future or not. If we stick with that set up that we need all the CBs we can get. But if we go back to a 4 back line, we may need to sell or trade some of our young guys, unless we are able to dump some of the veteran CBs
They will play back 3 rest of year, and likely into next year if Almiron and AM are still here.
Also, Edwards is a LB/RB. Not CB
I agree with you, but Deila has been playing Edwards as a CB, even though I hate the move. I would might Edwards at CB as a last resort move, but him starting at RCB over true CBs really sucks. We also did start the season with a back 4 line, so I would not be surprised if Deila wants to move back to that for a new season after a full offseason.
Perhaps someone knows the answer, but how did the MLS transfer windows get so out of line with the rest of FIFA. The FIFA window opened in June!
there is no FIFA window, every league decides on a tentative transfer window during the summer and winter. most of the world’s leagues are in line with each other with the fact that their season starts in August and ends in May, but MLS starts their season in late February/ early March and ends October/November. Primary transfer windows are usually during the leagues offseason, while the Secondary transfer windows are during the season. So primary transfer window is longer than the secondary transfer window. MLS’s upcoming transfer window is a secondary window, so it is shorter than most of Europe’s transfer windows.
*yawn*
Oh good, we’re saved. /s
What I like about this signing is it gives me something to be curious about for the games in August. That’s something, right? Right guys? Guys….
Hope springs eternal they say, but I’m not so sure – I’ve moved into the “I’ll believe it when I see it” camp. Hope that he does well, but will reserve opinion as to whether this is a good signing or bad one based upon what occurs on the field (not that it matters for this season).
Needed another solid CB, so hopefully he works out. Guessing they may move on from Abram and open up his spot to another LB or winger or other areas where we need help. I don’t get excited about signings anymore…i need to see the product on the field improve and the coaching improve before I get excited.
I’m not one to blame the coach, but i’m there.
I dunno. They now have 4 starting CBs, one of which is always hurt. For a 3 CB formation. Likely Abram becomes backup and we move on from him this winter. Hopefully Cobb is able to fill that spot
I think we will keep Abram around until the end of the season unless they are going to move Williams to LCB when he returns. I think it is still valuable to have a left footed CB play the LCB position in a 3 CB set. Footed-ness I think is less important in a 4 back line set with just 2 CBs.
Hope he helps, but I’ll wait to see how he plays. Until then, he’s just another guy. Would be nice to know if he had any offers from anyone else.
but what does this mean for gressel?
well he isn’t a CB, so nothing?
never mind. ya had to be there…
Where should we have been to “get” this one? Because all I could think when I read it was “haven’t we seen enough from our one nostalgia signing to avoid further ones?” Lol/crying
Has nothing to do with signing Gressel now or anything about his current ability, or the more recent resigning of Almiron, and all about the transfer windows when Gressel was looking for a pay raise and was ultimately pushed out. Was a running joke in the DSS community, having every single transfer rumor somehow connect to Gressel.
…So to answer your question, active in DSS back in 2019-2020.
zactly…thought there were more holdovers here. thanks for getting this one!
next up…get parkie a scooter
I think I started that lol
hopefully he is ready to roll once the transfer window opens on the 24th. Cause we play Seattle on the 26th and then the League Cup matches start on the 30th.
Sadly I am completely apathetic about the signing
need another CB and RFB
And a CDM, and a another starting-quality wing.
and a goalkeeper and a coach
New front office. New scouts. New owner?