Santiago Pita was with his family when his father gave him the news: Atlanta United was going to sign him as a homegrown player. The official announcement was made on Wednesday after the 18-year-old midfielder signed a first team contract for 2026 with options through 2029.
Amidst the joy of this momentous occasion, Pita acknowledged that while he’s on the team, he understands that he has to work hard to improve his game if he wants to earn his spot on a roster that features talented attackers like club legend Miguel Almirón and Russian international Alexey Miranchuk — both of whom play in his position.
“The speed of play,” Pita said in an exclusive interview with Scarves and Spikes as he reflected on some of the things he needs to work on. “The way they play is so much faster. Maybe a little of the physical part, maybe the endurance, you have to be running a lot more.”
It’s exactly players like Almirón and Miranchuk that Pita is most eager to learn from in this new chapter. He said that the Paraguayan international often taught him new things when he participated in first team training sessions this season.
“I’ve talked to him a couple of times, and he’s a very good guy,” Pita said. “Sometimes he sees I do something wrong, and he helps me. He tells me what to do better for next time.”
While he says that Miranchuk is quieter, he praised him and said he has to “learn from him a lot.”
But it’s not just the players Pita is excited to work with next season. He will be coached by the legendary Argentinian manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, an icon in MLS and South America, who returned to the club ahead of 2026. Martino had successful stints at Atlanta United (2017-18) and Inter Miami (2023-24), where he developed talented youngsters such as forward Brandon Vázquez, defender Miles Robinson and midfielder Diego Gómez.
“When I learned he was coming, it was, like, very good for me because he also is a Latin guy, so we might understand each other better, Pita said. “So, obviously, happy because of who he is, because he’s a legend in Atlanta and, in the world in general, he’s a legendary coach and also Latin.”
Pita enjoyed a breakout 2025 with Atlanta United 2, particularly in the second half of the season under Interim Head Coach José Silva. The team went 6W-5L under the Spanish manager and was painfully close to qualifying for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the first time. Pita felt that Silva allowed him to play more freely, increasing his confidence and helping him rack up 2g/2a in 12 appearances.
“I think he realized the kind of players he had because in the first half of the season, we were playing in a way that didn’t align with the players that we had,” Pita said. “I think Jose learned that we could play with the ball more than the way we were playing, and when we started playing with the ball more, it was just working.”
“The way he would let me play my game, that definitely, like, also helps with my confidence because I know I have his agreement,” Pita said.
When he wasn’t with the 2s, Pita played with the Academy’s U-18 team, where he totaled 4g/4a in 1,857 minutes. He was part of the squad that made a run to the Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, which included a penalty win over Italian powerhouse Inter Milan.
“You always see those teams, and you say, ‘wow, they’re probably so good,’ but then you go after them, and you realize they’re not that far away from you,” Pita said. “I actually feel like we were way better than them.”
“I don’t know what team they brought, but if that’s their A-team, their best team, I thought we were very good, and we dominated the whole game, so I feel like we have to start thinking that the US [academies] might be the next thing up.”
Pita credits the structure and guidance of Javier Pérez, Atlanta United director of methodology, for helping set him up for success this year. He said that Perez’s patience and willingness to move players between the teams to find the right balance between competitive level and playing time have been helpful.
“I feel like in other places, they’re trying to rush you up because they see your potential, and you get stuck in the first team not playing, not doing good, and then you have to go from the club or something like that,” Pita said. “What he does really good is that, I think, not rushing players, giving them time, and understanding them.”
Before arriving at the club in the summer of 2024, Pita spent time at Weston FC, an important youth development club in the US. He arrived there after spending five years in Spain playing with the academy side of third division club SD Ponferradina.
“Being in Weston basically changed my whole football career because I was coming from playing in Spain, and my last year in Spain, I didn’t play that much,” Pita said. “When I came here with my family, and then I came to Weston, I got a coach called Luis Mendoza, and he helped me throughout all my time in Weston.”
“I don’t know what would happen if I stayed in Spain, and didn’t get minutes, so Weston basically changed my whole career.”
In addition to his accomplishments at the club level, Pita also shines on the international stage. He has represented Venezuela and the United States at the youth level, but he is also eligible to represent Portugal. Pita joined Atlanta United teammates Dominik Chong Qui and Kaiden Moore on the US U-18 side that won the UEFA Friendship Cup in June.
These experiences with the national team provide valuable learning opportunities, which Pita uses to improve his game.
“When I go to these types of camps, I see other national teams and start picking up things from different countries,” Pita said. “You start picking up things from everywhere, and you start adding them to your game, and it helps you a lot to see different styles of things, not only your club.”
“For example, when I used to play in Weston, I wasn’t that intelligent tactically. In the US national team, they’re very tactically-minded, so I’ve been learning a lot of tactics since I’ve been starting to go with the US National Team.”
After a disappointing 2025 season, Atlanta United looks to turn things around under Head Coach Tata Martino. Pita eagerly looks forward to being a part of that and has a message of optimism to share with supporters ahead of 2026.
“They can forget about last season, and we’re gonna do better this one.”
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel!
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Great article. Great to hear about the development of the young kids. Would love to see them get their chance.