Atlanta United reach new low after Leagues Cup group stage exit

2024 hasn't been kind to Atlanta United.

The Five Stripes were all set up to enjoy a 2024 MLS season full of success with players like Giorgos Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada leading the way while Gonzalo Pineda was at the helm. All signs pointed to a season that resembled how Atlanta took the league by storm in 2017 and 2018, but that certainly wasn't the case.

After a bright start in which Atlanta picked up two wins from their first three matches, the team then went on an unimaginably poor run of form that saw them win just three times in 15 matches -- and Pineda was then shown the door after the team's 3-2 home defeat to Charlotte FC.

Fast forward some, and Giakoumakis, Almada and Wiley are now a thing of the past at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after they were transferred to their new clubs at Cruz Azul, Botafogo and Chelsea. Rob Valentino was named interim head coach, and Atlanta did look a little more refreshed in a different 4-3-3 shape instead of the typical 4-2-3-1.

Valentino's first four matches weren't too shabby -- two wins and two draws -- but what followed was a re-run of the season up until that point. Atlanta suffered four straight defeats before sort of trying to get things back on track with a 2-2 draw vs NYCFC (in which the team gave up a 2-0 first half lead) and a 2-1 upset win over reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew thanks to a brace from defender Stian Gregersen.

Things were looking a little bit up as Atlanta prepared for Leagues Cup as the team plotted a way to reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup. There was simply no way that Atlanta could do worse than last year's Leagues Cup campaign, right? The 2018 MLS Cup winners were dumped from the 2023 edition after a humbling defeat to Inter Miami and Lionel Messi and a penalty shootout loss to Cruz Azul -- accumulating just one point from two matches.

In fairness, Atlanta did managed to pick up two points rather than one in group stage action of this summer's Leagues Cup. But those two points also meant that they were once going home from the tournament early for the second consecutive summer.

Even without a star striker or attacking midfielder (Atlanta has already signed Alexey Miranchuk as Almada's replacement, but he won't make his debut until later this month or in September), Atlanta had no business finishing at the bottom of East Group 7. The squad is not that bad and the team has shown glimpses here and there of what it can be with the current core of players under Valentino.

In their group, Atlanta squared off against fellow MLS side DC United and Liga MX club Santos Laguna. Prior to the tournament, Atlanta was in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, four places ahead of DC who were in 13th. Santos were struggling in the opening stages of the 2024 Apertura campaign as they had managed just one goal and zero wins through four matches.

But nonetheless, Atlanta's dismal 2024 campaign reached a new low after falling to DC in penalties -- as they essentially gave their opponents three free goals despite scoring three goals themselves. If we are to make excuses, at least Atlanta lost to a team with the iconic Christian Benteke leading the line (Benteke managed a hat trick against Atlanta earlier in the season).

The final group stage match was a win-or-go-home scenario as DC took care of business and took down Santos prior to the match between Atlanta and the Mexican outfit. All Atlanta had to do was simply get past one of the worst Liga MX teams in some time, and they couldn't even do that.

In the end, it was another penalty shootout defeat for Atlanta in front of their fans at the Benz. It's been quite a fall from grace for a team that lifted three trophies in their first three years of play. If you're wondering why the reported attendance for the match against Santos was under 30,000, last night's match is a prime example of why -- the team has descended into mediocrity and allowed complacency to set in over the last few years.

As Pineda was let go early on in the summer, many suspected that the coach was the problem as Atlanta had one of the most talented squads in MLS on paper. But perhaps, could some of the players also be part of the problem? Yes.

It seems that more big changes are coming this offseason as the Five Stripes look to escape from irrelevancy and return to prominence in North American soccer, with the signing of Miranchuk giving Atlanta fans some hope for the remainder of the season.