Offseason Guides: D.C. United, Atlanta circle the drain

I initially intended these to be shorter, but then I kept coming up with more and more stuff that felt important to add, and so as usual I have overwritten. Oops.

So instead of the cadence I promised – four in every Monday’s email blast – I’m going to adjust it to two on Monday and two on Thursday. A twice-weekly cadence right through the conference semis, at which point it’ll drop off to once weekly through MLS Cup.

In the meantime, here are the post-mortems for MLSsoccer:

• Western Conference dregs
• Eastern Conference dregs
• Wild Card losers

Ok, in we go:

D.C. United

2025 finish: Dead fuckin’ last

Biggest question: Is new CSO Erkut Sogut cut out for this?

I’m gonna pull a paragraph from Charlie Boehm’s MLSsoccer.com feature when “Dr.”1 Sogut was announced back in September:

Dr. Erkut Sogut has never worked at a club before, nor has he worked in Major League Soccer. And it will raise a few more eyebrows that the sports lawyer and former agent was initially contacted to assist the Black-and-Red with their search process, having just helped them find new head coach René Weiler, only to wind up as the outcome of said search.

I get the urge, when you’re as deep into the 7th circle of hell as D.C. have been, to think outside the box when hiring someone to point the club in a new direction. That urge was maybe especially pronounced this time around given that stability (Dave Kasper was D.C.’s CSO from 2007-2021) and conventional wisdom (Ally Mackay, a well-regarded assistant GM within the league, was hired to replace Kasper; he, uh, didn’t do so great) have both let you down.

But man, read Charlie’s graph again. This feels like a wild-assed swing on a guy who’s going to have a steep learning curve.

It feels like D.C. might’ve been sold a monorail here.

Top winter priority: Rebuild the entire sporting side of the org.

I mean, I get it: D.C. were about 0-for-1,000,000 in new signings under Mackay and almost any new CSO – first time on the job or not – brings in their own people when they get the big chair. And if it were me at the top of that org chart, I wouldn’t be wild about keeping the folks who thought Kim Joon Hong and Matti Peltola were worth premium roster slots. I’d be showing them the door.

It all just illustrates what a massive lift this is. You’re a rookie exec so you’ve never put together a front office before, but you’ve got to do so now in like 10 weeks before the window opens and you start rebuilding the worst roster in the league.

Good luck, man. Aim small miss small, I guess.

State of the Roster: Not great!

“The team is not only struggling at home. We are down in the table, so we are struggling all time. It’s very simple. The team is too weak. That is the result. The table don’t lie, and I can’t do magic, so we need the players. They have to bring in the quality to be more competitive.”

That was Weiler after D.C. got their brains beat in 6-0 by Philly late on in the season.

The bad news on this front is that they don’t actually have a ton of flexibility – all six of the TAM players on the roster have guaranteed deals through at least 2026, and all three U-22 slots are occupied.2

They do have two open DP slots, though, and potentially a third if they decline Christian Benteke’s massive option. Which honestly might be in play? D.C. owner Jason Levien (again I’m referencing Charlie’s story here) said they “are planning to invest” in guys at those premium roster slots.

Does that mean three new DPs? Maybe!

• 2026 TAM players: Enow, Herrera, Peglow, Peltola, Rowles, Schnegg
• 2026 U-22 players: Clark (team option), Pirani (team option), Kim
• 2026 DPs: Benteke (team option)

Where the XI stands now: I’m sure many of these guys would thrive elsewhere (look at how good Chris McVey has been for San Diego), but in 2025 there’s not more than one or two guys who topped out at “Average MLS Starter.” Most were a tier or three below that.

I don’t think anyone should feel confident about their prospects heading into 2026.

4-2-3-1:

• GK: ???
• LB: Schnegg
• LCB: Rowles
• RCB: ???
• RB: Herrera
• DM: Peltola
• CM: Hopkins
• LW: Clark
• AM: ???
• RW: Pirani
• FW: Benteke

Things to know:

• 15-year-old academy product Oscar Avilez was the first signing of the Sogut era. He announced it with a post on LinkedIn.
• There are reports that D.C. are planning to have a NEXT Pro partnership next year, and hope in the coming years to have an official team of their own up by Baltimore.
• They’ll have the top pick in the SuperDraft unless they trade it.

Atlanta United

2025 finish: 14th in the East

Biggest question: Who’s going to be the new head coach?

I almost went with “is any of this salvageable?” but I suspect they’ll hire a new head coach with the mandate of making it salvageable, and folks, don’t we just love a good reunion tour:

“Sources: Tata Martino has emerged as the clear frontrunner to be Atlanta United’s next head coach.”

That’s from Tom, Paul & Felipe over at the Athletic.

I have my doubts about this in the same way that I had my doubts about going to see Fleetwood Mac in 1997. But you know what? I had the time of my life at that show! It was great. Reunion tours can work.

So while Tata never hit the heights with Mexico or Inter Miami3 that he managed with Atlanta, the dude’s a proven winner and clearly knows how to get the best out of Miggy Almiron, who’s probably the most important player on the roster.

So c’mon out and play the hits.

Top winter priority: Sort out the three DPs.

Almiron, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Aleksey Miranchuk were all various shades of disappointing and man, am I being kind by using that word. 2025 was misery.

Please turn the sound up as loud as it will go and watch this in a crowded room:

You can’t win in this league if you’re getting nothing from your DPs. If they’re actively making you bad, then you’ll do worse than not win – you’ll have the worst season in club history.

“Make it salvageable” is going to be the mandate, I’m sure. But actually salvaging this might mean selling Latte Lath to a club in the English Championship or finding a buyout number with Miranchuk. They each put forth that kind of season in 2025.4

State of the Roster: They’re locked into more expensive veteran deals than D.C. are, though I do think there’s a couple of TAM contracts on the books that are extremely likely to be declined in the coming days. Still, CSO Chris Henderson (he’s in full control of the sporting side with club president & CEO Garth Lagerwey on a medical leave of absence) already started the overhaul with a trio of signings this past summer.

It is at least mildly concerning that none of those guys5 impressed. But as of now I’ve determined to blame that on departed head coach Ronny Deila. We’ll revisit in the spring if necessary.

• 2026 TAM players: Alzate, Berrocal, Gregerson, Lennon (team option), Lobjanidze, Mihaj, Muyumba, Slisz, Thiare (team option)
• 2026 U-22 players: Mosquera (on loan and off-roster; I assume he won’t take up a lot in 2026 either, but you never know!)
• 2026 DPs: Almiron, Latte Lath, Miranchuk

Where the XI stands now: Tata’s always preferred a 4-2-3-1ish 4-3-3, a preference that dates back well before his Atlanta days – but also, to be clear, very much dates to and through his Atlanta days.

Issue is I’m not sure how you work Miggy and Miranchuk into the same XI if that’s how you want to play it. In theory it’d be Miggy at right wing, but Deila really did try that this year, and it really did not work great.

4-2-3-1:

• GK: ???
• LB: Amador
• LCB: Berrocal
• RCB: Mihaj
• RB: ???
• DM: Alzate
• CM: Slisz
• LW: ???
• AM: Almiron
• RW: Lobjanidze
• FW: Latte Lath

Things to know:

• Jayden Hibbert filled in down the stretch for Brad Guzan, who’s now retired. Hibbert was ok but I’m not sure he’s going to be handed the No. 1 kit for a team that will see anything less than 55 points as a failure. And that is where expectations will be.
• A bunch of academy kids got minutes down the stretch. I think there’s a few contributors in there, though I didn’t see any track as clear starters.
• They are slated to pick second in the SuperDraft.

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