No retrospective on the club’s honors haul this year would be complete without the biggest honor a player can get: representing your national team. Here’s a look at who got called up for international duty from Atlanta United this year:
Starting with the U.S. Men’s National Team, left back Greg Garza became the first Atlanta United player to ever receive an American international call-up in January of this year against Serbia. Brad Guzan got several more U.S. caps since joining the team, including some standout performances for the U.S. in their Gold Cup run this summer.
One of Atlanta United’s first signings to get a call-up was veteran forward Kenwyne Jones, and his involvement with the Trinidad and Tobago national team continued in 2017. He was called up twice, starting both of the team’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in March and getting the nod again in June.
Two of Atlanta United’s South American contingent received regular call-ups in 2017 during the elite CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign with Josef Martinez appearing in nearly every competitive match for Venezuela. Carlos Carmona was called up to represent his native Chile in March, just weeks after his Atlanta United debut. Meanwhile, Miguel Almirón was a crucial piece of the Paraguayan team that nearly shocked the world by securing their spot at the 2018 World Cup, falling just short on the final match with Miguel unfortunately sidelined with injury.
And don’t forget the youngest stars in the Atlanta United universe. The Five Stripes were well-represented at the U-17 World Cup this year, with five players at the tournament between the U.S. and Honduras. More on that to come in the following days.
Overall, it was a great year for Atlanta United’s international stars in the club’s first season. Hopefully it’s just the start of many more to come.
