Atlanta United forward Jamal Thiare has been traded to the Columbus Crew, the two clubs announced on Monday morning. Atlanta has received $200,000 in 2026 GAM and could receive another $100,000 should Thiare meet incentives.
Michael Arace from the Columbus Dispatch and Tom Bogert were first to report the news on Saturday morning.
Atlanta’s decision to pick up Thiare’s option in the offseason was seen as a bit of a puzzling one. Not only did he make $730,000 in 2025, a massive number for a backup striker, but he struggled during various times of his career with the Five Stripes to remain fit. That said, Monday’s move shows that Chris Henderson felt there was a market for the 32-year-old, with Columbus now bringing him on with Jacen Russell-Rowe’s transfer to Toulouse also being made official on Monday.
Thiare, who was brought on during the 2023 secondary transfer window, scored five goals for Atlanta in 2025 across 27 appearances (nine starts) and just shy of 1,000 minutes. In 2024, he started 12 times across 25 matches and netted six goals in the regular season, including a brace against Inter Miami in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
With Cayman Togashi the only option behind Emmanuel Latte Lath, Atlanta’s next step is to bring in a third striker. But a couple of hundred thousand more of GAM and Thiare’s budget charge freed up means we could see plenty of more action before the season begins on February 21.
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I will always remember his 2 goals against Miami and his stunner of a sneaky goal against TFC. I like the dude, and thought he was solid, but at times he felt a bit weak and a bit of a flopper. His play at times was uninspiring, though he was the best we had. Wish him the best, though wish it wasn’t the crew.
Does this mean a role for Patrick Weah with the big club?
Dear Atlantistas, aloha. How is your transformation going? I would expect many of these non-entities, like this Thiare to depart and for new, both young and experimented guys from Argentina and South America chosen by Tata to arrive. Is that happening? I hope so.
welcome back! i thought we would see you again now that tata is back to right the ship!
yes…a lot of terrible roster decisions that are being fixed now. i do not expect miracles, but things are already heading in the right direction. how much success will come this year? i do not know, but at least there is an adult in the room again when it comes to making the right decision on roster building as well as tactics on the pitch.
already reports (from day one of practice) that things are more deliberate and organized. and that the staff is far more engaged and picky about the details during drills. the comments from the players so far have been very positive.
too early to really know, but what do you expect from your gremio this season? did i see right that vinicius made is way there?
Hi! Good to be back, at least online. Your country is not the safest for crazy left wing radicals (aka anyone who likes universal healthcare) such as self. I do feel Tata will do better than just raise the level a little for some reasons: bar was incredibly low; MLS grew laterally a lot (30 clubs, seriously?) which impacts quality negatively; and Tata´s little notebook with all these talented players has only improved over time. I think now you will go back to smart hiring, which means getting talent for a reasonable price, and that means South America. Europe is too costly, Africa lacks footballing consistency yet, and Concacaf, well.
I am very hopeful, and hope to wach some of your games.
On our front, our league is becoming really, really good. BR clubs are now having a lot of resources, and talent from South America (BR teams are South American selections now). Problem is, clubs from Sao Paulo and Rio are making A LOT more than clubs from midsize cities, like Gremio´s. We are losing competitiveness, and we are becoming more like the Premier League, with 5 big clubs, instead of the 10-12 from ealier. On the fun side, we now rule Libertadores, and Argentinians are big mad beacuse they aren´t competitive anymore. Guess what: THEIR league now has 30 clubs and no demotion.
Well, happy 2026 for us, and hope there is a World Cup, and people can actually attend.
Best regards,
M
I’m glad you’re back Marcelo, but can we just leave out all of the political comments please? I get enough of it existing here, soccer is one of the places I can just not think about it for a bit.
Yeah, the european –> SA shift has begun, which was to be expected. Tata has a lot of experience with SA footballers so his reach is vast. Guessing there is someone else on the list besides Milton G. that he can pick up as a backup CF, we just haven’t seen the rumors come out about him yet.
Trust the Tata. I do!
I always liked Thiare. Geat motor, seems like a genuinely good guy. Hate to see him go to a conference opponent but that’s a much needed move.
Good luck to him!
Liam Butts is cheap. Tata wants to spend Jamal’s GAM on Guido Rodriguez.
I think Guido signed for Valencia, so he’s no longer on the table.
Well then, that’s off.
Good business
I was curious as to why Thiare wasn’t available yesterday and they didn’t mention him during the broadcast, unless they mentioned it during the pre-match broadcast. Good for him and wish him the best. Will forever remember the crazy goal where he basically stole the ball from the goalkeeper to score the goal.