A new face trotted out onto the pitch at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground Tuesday morning, and he still had some names to learn. Enea Mihaj, Atlanta United's new defender signing from Portuguese club FC Famalicão, got his boots beneath him in Marietta, Ga. Mihaj is joining in the heat of the regular season, and with Leagues Cup on the horizon for the 5-Stripes, he's tasked with getting up to speed and familiar with head coach Ronny Deila's system quickly. He and the squad around him had positive first impressions through his first training session.
Deila, who has spoken a few times now about Mihaj's potential impact in the squad, has used words like leadership, communication and hunger to describe his new center back. The new signing had similar words of self-evaluation.
"I'm an aggressive defender. I can read the game [well]," Mihaj said in his introductory media availability after training Tuesday.
"I can give instructions to my teammates. I can help defending in the box, being tough, that's necessary for a defender."
Mihaj has never been to the United States before, so his arrival this weekend and speedy integration into the Atlanta United system is certainly a lot of newness all at once. He said the club sent him training resources to help him acclimate quickly to their regimen. Though he was previously in his offseason after Famalicão finished its club season, he was more than willing to jump into individual training to be ready for the 5-Stripes.
Mihaj also mentioned he watched a few recent Atlanta United games for all 90 minutes to gain an understanding of the play style before getting to see and feel it himself. He was in the building for the Charlotte match this past Saturday, where he said the 3-2 loss the 5-Stripes suffered was a "pity" because of how well they played in the first half.
Mihaj is the first summer window signing of Sporting Director and Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson's tenure with Atlanta United. Henderson is set to speak to media Thursday as the Secondary Transfer Window for MLS clubs opens July 24. He, along with other club executives and coaching staff, gave Mihaj a pitch that convinced him to join the 5-Stripes over other clubs.
"What is in my mind now is giving everything for the team," Mihaj said. "We had that long conversation with the board, with the club before I [came] here. They explained to me the project, and that's why I choose to be here."
Perhaps the most convincing was the gaffer himself, as Mihaj was pleased with Deila's plans for him and the whole team moving forward.
"I understand what he wants from the team, the way of playing," Mihaj said. "It was attractive to me. I think it suits me. What he was thinking about me and how I can help the team, it was things that really make me feel comfortable."
In Atlanta United's training Tuesday, the squad began with short-passing and touch drills between sticks, split attackers and defenders, and got extra conditioning in with full sprints. Mihaj blended right in, looking prepared and up to the fitness challenges of a Georgia summer session.
Mihaj's last season in Portugal was, in his words, one of the best of his career. The 27-year-old started consistently in the new year and captained his side, which he said was an honor. Deila previously expressed his excitement towards the club signing a player in the prime of his career.
Having made appearances at the international level with Albania, Mihaj thinks those chances have been influential for him.
"The players playing in my position, they play high levels like Serie A or La Liga," Mihaj said. "They are great players. I always see this like [an] opportunity for me when I go there to learn things. I try to learn from everyone."
Matt Edwards, who also talked with media after Tuesday's practice, was the first Atlanta United player to speak after playing with Mihaj. He's encouraged about what the Albanian is showing on the pitch at the training ground.
"He brings quality," Edwards said. "You can already tell he has something to him, and he's a presence back there."
Though his addition into the squad will help the Atlanta United backline, Mihaj is focused on the entire team improving. He knows results won't be accomplished just through his addition.
"Football is a collective sport," Mihaj said. "We need all of us to step up to do our job better."
It'll be up to Deila to decide how soon his new signing gets out onto the pitch with a match at home against Seattle Sounders looming this Saturday. The visitors are fourth in the Western Conference this season and are the seventh most accurate passing team in MLS this season. They'll be a unique challenge, as just the third out-of-conference match so far this season for Atlanta United.
Mihaj put it simply that he'd be willing to feature if called upon.
"The players always want to play," he said.
Mihaj spoke affirmatively yet warmly when meeting media members for the first time, and he left no doubt that he understands what's in front of him.
"I know what I have to do. I know what the expectations are," Mihaj said. "I think we have a lot of work to do, but we're on the right path."
