Today, at an event held on the corner of Baker and Marietta Street, the dreams of thousands of soccer fans in Atlanta came true: Atlanta is officially the next Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.
Arthur Blank, co-founder of the Home Depot franchise and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, joined MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, and US soccer legend Alexi Lalas in an afternoon event to announce the new team. While the official announcement happened upstairs at the Ventanas event space, a large crowd had also gathered in an empty lot across the street to cheer on the news. The team will play its first game in 2017.