Atlanta United Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra’s end-of-year press conference was a wide-ranging question and answer session about the team’s first ever season and the next steps it needs to take. But it also provided an opportunity to learn more about the club’s plans for USL and why launching a second-division team was so important to the club.
“For us it creates a fantastic pyramid,” he said. “Guys like Andrew [Carleton] and Chris [Goslin] and [George] Bello next year coming out of the academy. We need a place for these kids to play. And if they’re not breaking through and able to play, we can get them 10-15 games in the USL where they’re competing against men, guys who are out there putting food on the table for their families. It’s a little different than playing for the academy out on the weekend where sometimes it feels like a scrimmage.”
Up until now, the club has put a lot of its focus on the first team and the academy, so a partnership with USL affiliate Charleston Battery was a great short-term solution. But in the end, logistical hurdles made the club pursue a different path moving forward.
“It’s a five-and-a-half hour drive or a plane flight to get over there, so if a few of our guys weren’t going to play on Saturday, it was really difficult to get them over there on the weekend to get some game time.”
Bocanegra was quick to thank the Battery organization, who he called great partners from start to finish. But Atlanta United’s front office realized they could guarantee playing time at a crucial stage of the development process for its best players by bringing it in-house.
“Their head coach has his own responsibilities. It was great that he left spaces open and gave our players a chance when he could fit them in, but he had his own guys signed and his job was to win. Now, we control all the technical aspects of the club on the field. So thirteen guys will get minutes probably every week to stay on track to develop and go after first-team spots.”
While this is largely an opportunity for players from inside the Atlanta United academy, Bocanegra says they will be looking far and wide for their next generation of talent.
“You get seven international spots as well for USL, so for us, it’s a great opportunity to start to bring some players into our club that we potentially get at a younger age. They’re getting games with our USL team but they’re seen by our coach every day and they play on the weekends to get minutes.”
But youth development has always been one of the key goals of the club’s mission, and Bocanegra insisted it’s a priority moving forward. He said it’s the front office’s job to make sure there are opportunities and a pathway for their bright, young talents.
“Nothing’s given to these kids, and we’ve got some darn good players playing in front of them right now, but it’s their job to challenge them and push them. We like playing youth, we like to push and promote youth. It’s important to our club, and we’d like to give these kids opportunities and push them forward.”
Atlanta United’s USL team will officially begin play in the 2018 season at Coolray Field in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The name and roster are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
