In the shadow of some of Atlanta’s most iconic buildings Wednesday, Atlanta sports fans gathered to celebrate an event that will go down in the city’s sports history. While MLS Atlanta owner Arthur Blank announced the city would be the home of Major League Soccer’s 22nd team in downtown Atlanta, across the street the Celebration of Soccer cranked up and gave everyone a glimpse of what’s to come.
The festival was filled with sponsors, free giveaways and various soccer-related events, but the fans were what the day was all about. Atlanta is a natural for the sport, given the groundswell of support at all levels, and it culminated in Wednesday’s announcement.
“This is that beginning moment for us,” Matt Stigall from Terminus Legion, a grassroots organization that was integral in helping bring pro soccer to Atlanta, said Wednesday. “Generations and generations of history and years and years of success started right here today. It’s great to be a part of it.”
If anyone thought Atlanta was an American football-only town, the crowd at the festival would say otherwise. It wasn’t long before nearly everyone in attendance had on a red and gold Atlanta soccer scarf, an apparel tradition in soccer. Fans stood in line to join Terminus Legion while others waited to take their picture with the MLS Cup Trophy, awarded to the top team in the league each season. Certainly those in attendance were already thinking forward to the day when that trophy can have a residence in Atlanta.
“I’m very excited,” Athens native and soccer fan Ian Canalis said. “MLS continues to grow and it’s going to be great to have a local team to support and be passionate about. I’m Italian so I’m a long way from my team, so an Atlanta team is one that I can support.”
As soccer grows in the capital of the south, the city’s new MLS team will provide fans with a link to the game they love and the game they want their kids to love.
“People who aren’t necessarily into football or into baseball, you’ll find they’re into soccer,” soccer fan Phil Wea said. “Their kids are into soccer. It gives them something to progress to and the idea they can play professionally. It also gives you something else to go and fun to take the kids to.”
Wednesday’s celebration featured everything fans love about soccer. Impromptu chants broke out celebrating Atlanta, goals were kicked and the infectious enthusiasm that is soccer was alive and well. Atlanta is now part of the national and international soccer community and Wednesday’s celebration showed the city is ready.
“We’re here to help prove that Atlanta is a soccer town,” Stigall said. “Everyone around the world connects cities to soccer teams. You’ve got all of these cities and people connect to those cities through their soccer teams, Atlanta will have that ability by having a team in a top professional league.”
