Another midfielder has entered the mix.
27-year old Argentine central midfielder Giuliano Galoppo has officially joined the Five Stripes on the last day of the transfer window after a long spell of rumors and reports linking him to the club. The experienced midfielder comes to Atlanta on loan through June 30th, 2027, meaning he will be with the club through the upcoming sprint season, and comes with a purchase option.
The midfielder becomes the third player to join the club from River Plate this year, following in the footsteps of Paulo Diaz and Matias Galarza (especially, as a loaned midfielder). Galoppo has previously played professionally for clubs in Argentina and Brazil including Banfield, São Paulo FC, and most recently River Plate, where he has notched eight goals and one assist in 48 appearances.
“Giuliano is a dynamic midfielder who has a good tactical understanding of the game, quality on the ball and the ability to contribute goals from midfield,” Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson said. “He can play multiple positions in midfield and will raise the level of competition within the group as we continue to strengthen our roster heading into the final stretch of the season.”
Galoppo’s addition will require a visa, meaning there could still be a lengthy amount of time before he is able to debut for his new club, as we’ve recently seen from new signings. He also joins a crowded room of midfielders who have recently seen starting minutes, including Steven Alzate, Jay Fortune, Adrian Gill, Tristan Muyumba, and Will Reilly, as well as fellow new signing Mauricio Amaro who has yet to debut.
“That’s what we’re looking for, a noble competition in the squad so that we have the best tools to handle the rest of the season. And we still have a lot of players who are out right now for various reasons,” said Tata Martino following the Charlotte FC match.
Galoppo will have to earn a spot in Martino’s setup after losing his role at his previous club. He did not feature in the matchday roster for River Plate during the Clausura season, which began at the end of July. In the spring Apertura, Galoppo made two starts in nine total appearances.
Will the newest member of Atlanta United be able to make an impact on the club’s fortunes moving forward? That remains to be seen once Tata Martino has the full squad at his selection as the Five Stripes push for the playoff line in the twelve remaining matches in the 2026 season.
“We’ll see”
That’s all you can say, “we’ll see”. Being favored or not at your current club doesn’t tell me anything, too many factors play into that decision. Other talent, coach, formations, a desire to try something new, etc.
I thought Galarza did well here when he initially got here but he started to kind of fall off there at the end. Now we get to compare this guy and see where he fits.
It will take them 6 weeks to get his visa (just like Amaro). Doesn’t this team have any international lawyers?
Supposedly Embolo and Amaro are available vs Miami.
https://x.com/jprosopio1980/status/2095508874799292802?s=20
Wait, wait, wait.. so this guy isn’t even necessarily good quality? Not even starting at River Plate? I could understand this move if the idea was that we are trying to upgrade the options at central mid so we can offload some of the overcrowding in the next window, but we just added another depth piece like we didn’t have enough depth there already? Hendo is about to start approaching a Boca-style reputation for me… Bad contracts for bad players and not even filling the areas of need.
at least it is just a loan, so if he is really terrible then we are done with him after the end of the sprint season.
Would have preferred a competent CB or LB. As for this year, given the rate at which the new signings are able to get their visas and actually be available, all of this is for the sprint season.
Also doesn’t help that Galarza signed with Miami. The one competent attacking player we had for a short time ending up with Messi and Co.
Time for the patented and infallible 4-6-0 formation.
More midfield spaghetti to throw on the wall?