Atlanta United president & CEO Garth Lagerwey wanted proven winners for the two vacancies in the club's front office -- sporting director and head coach -- and he found that with the first major hire this winter. Chris Henderson, introduced this week as the club's chief soccer officer & sporting director, has an august resume. And there's one common theme throughout each stage: he's won.
At his introductory press conference, Lagerwey called his fellow executive "a proven winner," and we took a look at some of the numbers that drive that fact home:
17
The 2025 season will be Henderson's first in Atlanta, but he's not at all new to MLS. He's entering his 18th season of front office experience. He spent 12 years on the West Coast with Seattle Sounders. He most recently worked as the sporting director at Inter Miami for the last four years.
While with Miami, he built a team that won the inaugural Leagues Cup title in 2023. This past season, Miami set a new regular season points record in 2024 (74), lifted the Supporters’ Shield trophy, and earned the No. 1 seed in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. They were eliminated in Round One by none other than 9-seed Atlanta United.
12
This isn't only the number of seasons that Henderson spent in Seattle -- it's also the number of seasons that his club made the playoffs. While at Seattle, Henderson helped build a team that made the playoffs in all 12 consecutive seasons after joining MLS in 2009, creating a standard of consistency and success, which he hopes to bring back to Atlanta.
Chris Henderson's Front Office Career:
- Assistant Coach, Seattle Sounders (2007)
- V.P. of Soccer and Sporting Director, Seattle Sounders (2008-21)
- Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director, Inter Miami CF (2021-24)
9
There's a reason why Lagerwey called Henderson the most decorated executive in MLS history. During his 17 years in the league, Henderson has had a remarkable run of success, winning a total of nine trophies with two different teams.
Chris Henderson's Honors and Trophies as a Club Executive:
- 4x U.S. Open Cup Champion (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)
- 2x Supporters' Shield Winner (2014, 2024)
- 4x Western Conference Champion (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
- 2x MLS Cup Champion (2016, 2019)
- Leagues Cup Champion (2023)
348
Prior to making the move to the front office, Henderson had a strong playing career of his own as a midfielder, mostly for American clubs. He made 348 total appearances in MLS across five different franchises. He won the 2000 MLS Cup with the Kansas City Wizards and was named an MLS All-Star that year. Prior to this year, Henderson shared the record for assists in a single game with four. That mark was broken by his own player Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, who recorded five assists in Miami's 6-2 win over Red Bulls on May 4.
317
Henderson closed out his playing career in 2006 with the New York Red Bulls. That season, he played every match for the Red Bulls and retired as the all-time league leader in regular season games played: 317. That record has since been broken, but shows the consistency and longevity of Henderson's play on the pitch.
Chris Henderson's Playing Career:
- Seattle Storm (1989)
- FSV Frankfurt (1994-95)
- Stabæk (1995-96)
- Colorado Rapids (1996-98)
- Kansas City Wizards (1999-2000)
- Miami Fusion (2001)
- Colorado Rapids (2002-05)
- Columbus Crew (2005)
- New York Red Bulls (2006)
79
Originally from Washington state, Henderson was also called up to represent his country several times during his playing days. Henderson has 79 caps for the United States men's national team. Notably, he made the U.S. squads for the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He also started and played every minute for the United States on their run to claim the Concacaf Gold Cup in 1991.
1990
Henderson is a winner going all the way back to college where he played for UCLA. He was named an All-American in 1990. That year, he led the Bruins to their second NCAA national championship.
