Miguel Almirón was waiting on this one.
The captain's return to Atlanta United meant it was always a possibility. But now he's living it. The forward became the club's all-time assists leader with two Sunday night against Sporting Kansas City.
"I've always said that Atlanta is my home and I achieve these goals with this club, with these people that saw me grow," Almirón said in Spanish after the match. "They gave me the opportunity to go to Europe ... I'm always going to be thankful for this club and I hope that, God willing, I can stay here for a while."
Coming into tonight's match against Sporting Kansas City, Almirón had a joint record of 41 assists for Atlanta United. Looking to surpass his tie with Brooks Lennon, in just the 13th minute, he became the newest club leader with a goal by Tomás Jacob.
Almirón roved forward with the ball and squared up against his defender. With a feint, he shook past him and fired a ball to the back post. Jacob had a simple finish to make history for Atlanta United's captain.
Atlanta United's number 10 turned 42 into 43 in the blink of an eye with Fafa Picault's goal in the 24th minute. From a corner kick, the Paraguayan whipped in a well-placed cross. Elías Báez headed the ball onto Picault, who flicked it into the back of the net. The secondary assist was Almirón's sixth of the 2026 MLS regular season.
El Profe, Tata Martino, has presided over most of Miggy's career with the club. His praises mean more than most.
"Miguel, along with Josef Martínez, in Atlanta United's short history, are the most important players the club has had," Martino said after the match. "[Miguel] is a player who's evidently showing he's still able to provide answers."
Almirón won the Golden Spike of Excellence on the night, a fitting prize on an evening where he wrote himself onto another page of Atlanta United's record book. But, in typical captain's fashion, he gave thanks to those around him.
"It was a great effort from the team," Almirón said. "It makes me happy to see the work that we're doing."
Earlier this season in July, Miggy became the first 5-Stripe to have at least 30 goals and 30 assists. Etching his name into red, black and gold history in another way Sunday night, Almirón won't rest there. His Atlanta United side have won three on the bounce and are gunning for a second-half-of-the-season comeback. His role in the side will only grow more critical down the stretch.
"The truth is that the team has suffered, but we've also worked a ton to get to this moment," Almirón said. "We also have to know that we have to keep working. We haven't achieved anything yet, we haven't achieved the objective that we're looking for. More than anything, we have to keep going down this road and continue with that attitude."
