Instant intensity in Atlanta United's first preseason training session of 2026

Huddled in the middle of the pitch on a brisk Georgia morning stood Atlanta United's coaching staff, a group of newcomers that somehow felt right at home. New head coach Tata Martino, once the leader of the club's first trophy winning side, took the pitch at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground alongside many men who were with him the first time around in 2017 and 2018. Now, in 2026, they stepped onto the grass with a new challenge at hand.

Atlanta United's roster filtered out onto Field 1, faces old and new, ready to commit to that same challenge: bring the 5-Stripes back to winning ways. 

Not a player on the pitch was at half speed. The first day of preseason training in 2026 was marked by immediate intensity. Monday morning was groundwork — passing drills, dynamic warmups, a chance for teammates who spread around the world during the offseason to get reacquainted. But everyone involved left no doubt as to their commitment to the cause. 

"I see the group united," Miguel Almirón said in Spanish after training Monday. "I see guys working in a good way, motivated for this season."​

Almirón and Emmanuel Latte Lath returned to the podium for media availability after the session. Having joined Atlanta United in the middle of the European season in 2025, both are fresh of their first full offseason in over a year and a half. 

"A little break is always helpful, mentally and physically," Almirón said. "It's always going to be a positive. Last year was a difficult and strange season for all of us."

As media piled into the new press conference room, added as a part of the club's expansions to the training ground, much was asked about the 2025 season. The players who were a part of the campaign will admit it themselves: they fell short of their own expectations.

But that cloud is clearing now, and not just because of personnel changes. Knowing what it feels like to come up short, and learning from it, will be incredibly valuable experience for the 2026 squad. 

"[Last year I learned] how to suffer," Latte Lath said. "We suffered a lot, and maybe for the last three years of my career, I forgot a bit, because many things went good. There is a time where you have to step back and [confront] the reality. So, to suffer, for me,
is a really good, good lesson."

Fueled by a full offseason of rest and reset, Latte Lath and the rest of the returners from last season are tasked with getting results. The expectation, not pressure as Latte Lath made sure to clarify, is on him to be one of the key factors in that turnaround. He knows what he can control, though, especially after the challenges of 2025.

"I really come back with another mindset. I'm ready to go, but I don't escape from last season," Latte Lath said. "... [I'll] do my best on this pitch, and we'll see what God gives me. I put everything I can [into it]."

The club won't just be looking to its striker to right the ship. Offseason roster turnover, led by Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson, saw defender Tomás Jacob and goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos join the squad, two Argentinian players signed in December. They'll enter the fold in the coming weeks as potential significant contributors this season. 

Those two are likely just the beginning of the moves that Henderson and Martino will make ahead of Atlanta United's season opener Feb. 21. 

 "Any player that's willing to help the group and the club, that will be welcomed," Almirón said.

Collaboration, from the front office to the technical staff through the roster, will be paramount for turning things around in 2026. Henderson expressed his faith in Martino in the coach's introductory press conference in December, and Almirón and Latte Lath are bullish on Martino's ability to command the respect of the squad. 

"He allows players to have the freedom speak with him, to express ourselves," Almirón said. "I think this helps us a lot, gives us confidence when we enter the pitch. I think Tata manages that very well."

Almirón has said many times he sees Martino as a father figure, inside and outside of the sport of football. We'll get the chance to hear from El Profe in his first media availability of the preseason after training Wednesday. He'll have had a few trainings under his belt to analyze the roster he has and where he may want to add talent. 

Tata's got plenty of work ahead of him, maybe most importantly coming up with a plan to maximize designated players Almirón, Latte Lath and Alexey Miranchuk. The focus may be on them, but Miggy looks to the entire roster, and the club as a whole, to make strides in 2026. 

"I think Tata's return is not only going to help me, it's going to help the team, the club, the city," Almirón said. "Now, we have to focus on working hard and preparing ourselves for the season."