The 2025 offseason will be one of change for Atlanta United in the eyes of Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. He spoke to media during his end of season press conference for over 30 minutes Wednesday morning, providing updates on many facets of what should be a busy couple of months leading up to the 2026 season.
Atlanta United is amid a coaching search, but Henderson emphasized that he and the rest of the club are looking at potential changes holistically. After a season that Henderson described as “the most difficult” of his 30 years in MLS as a player and in front offices, it won’t just be on the new gaffer to spark the turnaround. It’s also on the rest of the coaching staff, the scouting department and the medical staff — every area of Atlanta United will be evaluated.
“There's a lot that goes into it,” Henderson said. “First, when we land on our coaching staff, that collaboration needs to be worked on immediately. [It’s] very important how each department works to support the coaches and the players. Our job behind the scenes is to support and give everything we can to help the group have success.”
The timeline for hiring is yet to be determined, but Henderson did say the club would like to have the pieces in place to prepare for 2026 by the time the new year rolls around. Speaking to “about half a dozen” candidates, the club is taking the necessary time to deliberate a critical hire.
“We’re trying to move through the process quickly,” Henderson said. “We’re right in the middle of those conversations. We feel really happy with the candidates that we're talking to. Whenever you interview coaches like this, you learn a lot about your organization, and you get a lot of outside opinions that aren't seeing things inside every single day.”
Henderson announced that assistant coach Kenny Miller will also leave the club. As for the rest of the staff, those decisions will be made as a part of further evaluations.
Henderson was unequivocal that last year’s results were not enough by the club’s standards. He and his staff are looking back and learning from it. They’ll focus more on how to best integrate potential signings that come from different league schedules, tweaking training schedules and making sure players can handle the physical load of the season.
Two of Atlanta United’s designated players, Miguel Almirón and Emmanuel Latte Lath, came to the club in the middle of the European calendar. They went on to play a full MLS season, and Henderson pointed out you could see fatigue become a factor. A full offseason of rest will be welcomed for those two as they look to bring their best.
“I like to have a team that has something to prove,” Henderson said. “I think everyone who comes back next year to this team has something to prove, based on what we lived through in 2025.”
There will be numerous avenues for making the necessary roster changes heading into 2026. The club will have a high pick in the MLS SuperDraft, sort through potential free agency options and look overseas for potential signings. Henderson said he plans on making scouting hires in an effort to expand the club’s international scouting.
Player transactions typically have multiple motivating factors: team fit, roster slot availability, salary cap implications. Every part of the squad will be under the microscope.
“We're evaluating every position, and sometimes you have to move players, either for cap reasons or just to be able to bring in value for the next acquisition,” Henderson said. “Those are the things we have to really take a deep look at and how we can piece together complementary pieces on the field.”
Henderson did mention he felt the team’s work in the Secondary Transfer Window over the summer to bring in players like Enea Mihaj, Juan Berrocal and Steven Alzate helped to bring stability to the side.
When looking forward tactically, Henderson said new coaches will work in tandem with the front office to work through potential roster changes. The Sporting Director wants to see a team that attacks and plays positive football, and one that especially gets the most of its matches at home.
“Some games you have to grind out games, but I think we want to be a team that's high energy, that's attacking, that can counter press, that puts teams on their heels,” Henderson said. “In particular at home with the advantage we have with our home crowd, I think we need to take advantage of that in a better way and make this a really tough place to come and play. I don't feel like teams were afraid to play in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and that needs to change.”
More important than any X or O on a whiteboard is the culture of the club. Henderson wouldn’t reveal much about the characteristics of potential coaching candidates out of respect for the hiring process, but he did express a desire to see some backbone from the 5-Stripes. That’ll show up down the stretch in the season and on road trips, where Atlanta United struggled in 2025.
“A coaching staff can set a culture among the coaches and players,” Henderson said. “That permeates throughout the club, along with the organizational values that we will bring in that are constant every season.
“There are some games in MLS where you got to bring some grit and fight. We had that for stretches, but we couldn't maintain it at times for 90 minutes. We saw a big drop off at times after halftime, we come in with all this energy, it looks great, and then we have a letdown. Some of that is not just technique and tactics, some of that is just attitude and mentality.”
Henderson’s message to the 17s was comprehensive. A veteran of MLS, he understands what winning looks like and what needs to happen to win consistently. Atlanta has a phenomenal starting point: its support.
“We have a tremendous following,” Henderson said. “Our fans are incredible. The players in this organization have a really close connection with our fans. We saw that with the support throughout the year, even when we weren't getting results. I would say we are going to do everything we can in this offseason, whether it be improving in the behind the scenes, support staff, bringing in coaching staff who can bring a contender to Atlanta and what the fans deserve. We have tremendous support from Arthur Blank and our ownership group, and we need to take advantage of that and make sure that we're a successful club.”
