Atlanta United has finally obtained their defensive midfielder, a position that has plagued the squad for years. The Five Stripes announced Friday morning that the club has signed 21-year-old Uruguayan defensive midfielder Mauricio Amaro from Defensor Sporting, wrapping up a deal that first broke very recently and moved incredibly quickly. Amaro arrives as Atlanta’s third U-22 initiative signing, joining Tomas Jacob and Elias Baez, on a reported fee that landed somewhere north of $3 million with the potential to grow through add-ons. The contract is through the 2028-2029 season with an option for 2029-2030.
Atlanta has been screaming for a proper number six since basically 2020, and Amaro seems to fit the bill. He’s a Montevideo kid who just turned 21, wears the number six for Defensor, and came up through their academy before breaking into the first team back in 2023. He’s racked up nearly 60 appearances in the Liga AUF Uruguaya since then and picked up a handful of caps with Uruguay’s U20 side. He stands a listed 5’10”, plays right-footed, and – if the highlight reels for the young man tell the real story – he’s got a bit of that dawg in him.
“We’re excited to add a top young talent like Mauricio to Atlanta United,” Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson said. “He’s a player who will strengthen our midfield with his tackling, ball winning, competitiveness and ability to drive forward and split lines in possession. We look forward to welcoming him to the club.”
Tactically, this lines up with what Tata Martino has wanted since he returned to the club. He needs a true six who can drop between the center backs, free the fullbacks to push forward, and organize things in front of the back line, and that’s the exact job Amaro seems to play. A young anchor like him alongside the veteran center backs Atlanta has been stacking up all window, Junior Alonso and Paulo Diaz, and the spine of this team starts to resemble a real plan, however reluctant folks will be to have a ton of optimism until they see results.
A true number six, no matter how young or old, has been long overdue, so here’s hoping Amaro can be the key to unlock something in this squad. Welcome to Atlanta, Mauricio!
Let us know what you think of the move below, and be sure to check out our transfer tracker for all the summer moves being made by Atlanta United!
I hope that he doesn’t have any visa issues (has Diaz gotten his straightened out yet?). Having a solid CDM has been needed for a long time, and I hope that Amaro fills that need.
Diaz should be any day now. As for Amaro, I’m seeing what I can find out but I would assume a couple of weeks.
Solidifying that midfield is essential. Defense gets some reprieve, attack [hopefully] gets service. We’ve had our fair share of CM’s but not a good CDM that knows how to support the defense. McCarty is probably the closest we’ve had in 6 years now.
Hopefully he pans out, but i’ll remain skeptical until we can see him play. Now let’s get that front corps solidified.
hopefully he is successful, but Atlanta has been burned or burned the players too many times.
Personally like this move. Dude has sky high potential and is a starter that elevates the team day one. With the CB signings and this huge need addressed, we now need a solid winger and striker. This one though, huge need filled
Hoping you’re right. But until his studs are in the synthetic turf of MBS for a meaningful match, I’ll withhold judgment as I don’t know much about the kid.
Just excited to have some hope again lol, we’ll see how he looks in a few matches. Kinda want him to just come here and play his game, don’t change much of anything. He already has all the building blocks.
For what it’s worth, fans of his club in Uruguay seem to be unhappy to see him go. At least he’s not 35 and gimping around on one leg.
What do you think the next move is?
Do Lukaku or Embolo come in? If so, do we see Miggy back out on the wing and Miranchuk in the 10 until winter can address the need for either a true creating 10 and/or attacking winger?
Understandable!
And a keeper.