If you keep track of soccer and live in the southern United States, there is no doubt you’ve heard of Atl*nta Un*ted’s success filling the stands so far this season. And those fans in attendance have been thoroughly impressed with a fast-paced, attacking brand of soccer.

(Our editor, of course, wrote about why Carolina fans can’t support Atl*nta Un*ted before their inaugural season and the #NeverAtlanta concept, hence the asterisks here at SNST, but I’m not so sure…)

As fans of other Atl*nta teams though, two of my Greenville, SC buddies, Ryan Callaham and Kyle Haghshenas, brought up the idea of traveling down I-85 to experience what the MLS side had to offer. Naturally, as a fan of quality soccer, I jumped at the opportunity to experience the new hotness and to do so in good company… Charlotte Independence love aside.

(Photo Credit: Ryan Callaham)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

It was a tough decision to decide which game to pick off Atl*nta’s schedule to make the trip down to Georgia. When it comes to Major League Soccer, I would consider myself a Vancouver Whitecaps fan, since they were my first MLS experience, but unfortunately Atl*nta doesn’t play them at home this year.

The next home game that jumped out to me would be against the Colorado Rapids, mostly due to Charlotte Independence being their USL affiliate team. The opportunity to potentially watch some former Independence players play in an MLS game was particularly enticing. After conversing with the other guys it was settled: June 24th would be the game we’d attend.

Soccer in the States

Planning when we would attend the game was the difficult part. Up next was the fun part, driving down I-85 and enjoying the much-hyped atmosphere in Atl*nta.

Since I had the most fuel efficient automobile, I would be driving from Charlotte to Greenville, SC to pick up my buddies. While en route to Atl*nta from Greenville, a two and a half hour drive depending on traffic, we discussed various soccer-related things, primarily focusing on the current state of soccer in the United States. We discussed MLS expansion, pro/rel, and even the hope for USL to expand to Greenville, SC.

Looks like USL2GVL might be just on the horizon.

Gameday Atmosphere

Luckily for us, we made our way into Atl*nta relatively easily and never ran into any of the city’s famous traffic. After we made it into the heart of the city, we made our way to The Varsity, which is where fans collect for tailgating and pregame festivities. The entire parking lot beside the restaurant was entirely full of tents and fans doing what they do on game days.

As we made our way into The Varsity something became very clear to me: this southern city has fully embraced its soccer.

We collected our food and made our way over to Bobby Dodd alongside a sea of black, gold, and red. As we entered the stadium, which is technically the home of Georgia Tech’s football team, one thing was apparent: this stadium traditionally used for American football has transitioned beautifully to American soccer.

Kudos to Ryan for finding outstanding seats to view the game. We were positioned nearly on top of midfield which made for a perfect location to witness the ensuing fandom.

The game began, and so did the roaring of the crowd. This game was another sell-out crowd, the 7th straight to start the Un*ted era, and the total attendance was 44,938. I was incredibly curious to see in person how this would feel to be surrounded by soccer fans cheering on their team. For me, personally, this would be the biggest sporting event I have ever witnessed.

It was remarkable how devoted their fan base was throughout the game. The ample supporters section did not disappoint. They were cheering throughout the game and waving flags consistently. Even though we were not technically in the supporters section, our section stood throughout the game.

A major thing that stood out to me was how spontaneous and natural the cheering felt. The supporters section would start a cheer and soon after the entire stadium would erupt in unison. Ryan noticed the sheer number of cheers they had at their disposal too. Before the game, he sent us a chant sheet: they already have a dozen chants!

A casual fan could have assumed this team was formed years ago. A lot is made of home field advantage in sports, and Atl*nta absolutely has that going for them. You could just sense that the players feed off the rowdy fans.

Outsider’s Perspective

As far as the game goes, it was a competitive game throughout with various iffy calls by the referees. As a relatively neutral party, it was interesting to sit back and not have a strong bias in those moments.

Even though the scoreline of the game was only 1–0 in favor of Atl*nta, it was truly an exciting match on the field and in the stands. Fan favorite Josef Martinez was the lone scorer and had quite the celebration. Shortly after scoring the goal, he jumped on a nearby sponsor billboard to embrace the supporters section. The long awaited goal ignited the entire stadium… and in the process, he nearly ignited himself.

As previously mentioned, the swell of support for soccer in the south is getting an incredible amount of attention. After witnessing this support in person, there is no doubt that the attention is completely warranted. It was remarkable to see a city full of southern fans supporting the beautiful game.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of where your affiliations might lie, I can’t recommend attending a Atl*nta Un*ted FC game this season enough. Arthur Blank has started something truly special in the home of the Falcons. He has fielded an alluring, attack-minded team that has caught the attention of an entire city.

And even if it conflicts with my some of us here at SNST, I would even venture to guess that Mr. Blank and Atl*nta Un*ted have fully captured the fandom of a group of friends from the Carolinas too.