MLS 2022: Who is Thiago Almada, the new Atlanta United FC reinforcement?

It was announced today that for MLS 2022, Atlanta United FC secured Thiago Almada as a reinforcement.

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Almada arrives as a Designated Player and will occupy a spot on the international roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 visa.

The player has already been presented to the fans through social networks and the club's followers are more than excited about his incorporation. 

Who is Thiago Almada?

Thiago Ezequiel Almada is an Argentine soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder and from February 2022, he will be part of Atlanta United of the MLS.

The player comes from Vélez Sarsfield of the Liga Profesional de Futbol, which is the Argentine First Division.

Almada comes to the club as a Designated Player and about this fact, the vice president and technical director of Atlanta United, Carlos Bocanegra said:

"He is a player we have tracked for a long time and he has proven that he is one of the best young players in South America in recent seasons. 

We believe his skills fit well with the type of attacking soccer we want to play at Atlanta United and we are confident he will be able to play at a high level in Major League Soccer."

Where and when was Thiago Almada born? 

The player was born in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 4, 2001, he is currently 20 years old, and this will be his first time playing outside of his home country. 

The arrival of this player to Major League Soccer represents a milestone, especially for the club with the five stripes, since they paid 16 million dollars for what will be their new franchise player, after the departure of Ezequiel Barco to River Plate.

How was Thiago Almada's career at Vélez Sarsfield?

Almada is perhaps one of the most interesting transfers in this MLS season as he recorded 24 goals and 11 assists in 100 games for Velez Sarsfield in all competitions. 

The attacking midfielder started his professional soccer career very young as he started in the youth ranks at Velez, and made his professional debut at the age of 17 in a league match against Newell's Old Boys on August 11, 2018.

Almada has had a solid career at his club where he has improved his performance over time. For example, in the 2018-2019 season, he made 21 appearances in all competitions, 16 of them in the league, scoring four goals and adding two assists. 

Almada then went on to increase his effectiveness having played 41 games in 2019-2020 and recording 11 goals and three assists, including four goals and one assist in 22 games in the Professional League and four goals and one assist in eight appearances in the Copa Sudamericana, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the entire continent.

Last season with El Fortín, Almada made 38 appearances in total, scoring nine goals and six assists. In 32 combined Liga Profesional and Copa de la Liga matches, he scored seven goals and provided six assists.

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