Thiago Almada: “I want to go to Europe now”

Atlanta United v FC Cincinnati

Thiago Almada, during the 2023 MLS season, repeatedly declined to comment on his desire to play in Europe, stating that he simply wanted to focus on his time in Atlanta and see the campaign out.

Well, Atlanta’s season has been over for weeks. And Almada, on Monday, made his boldest proclamation yet of when he’d like to try his trade overseas.

“I want to go to Europe now! Yes, now in this upcoming transfer window, I want to go now,” Atlanta United’s No. 10 said in an interview with ESPN Latin America. “I would like any top league. If I have to choose it’s Premier League or La Liga, but I would like any top league.”

It’s always been a matter of when Almada will head to Europe, not if. But Monday saw him for the first time lay out the fact that he’d like to head over sooner rather than later.

That said, Atlanta United surely aren’t going to let him go unless it’s at an amount that it sees fit. Almada is widely regarded to command a record fee for an outgoing MLS player; the big caution point is Atlanta overplaying its hand and asking for an amount that could be more than teams are willing to give up, further stretching the process out and deferring Almada’s wish to head to England or Spain — leading to a disgruntled player.

Either way, fans may want to plan on Atlanta’s “Starboy” not being here when the 2024 MLS season commences.

Breaking: U.S. Soccer selects Fayette County as its new home

Headquarters with training center to built near Trilith

A conceptual image of the U.S. Soccer National Training Center that will be built in Fayette County.

The United States Soccer Federation is planning to buy a site in Fayette County to be the location for its new National Training Center and headquarters.

The USSF Board of Governors voted to move ahead with purchasing the site during a meeting Thursday. The site, comprising more than 200 acres, is located to the west of Veterans Parkway and north of Trilith Studios.

Closing on the purchase is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The cost wasn’t disclosed. Groundbreaking is expected in the spring of 2024, with an estimated completion date before the 2026 World Cup, which will include matches played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in October that Fayette County was a possibility. Nine locations around metro Atlanta were considered.