Atlanta United To Launch Expansion Team In Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — After winning the hearts of local sports fan in their first season in Major League Soccer, Atlanta United FC is starting up a farm club in Gwinnett County.

Atlanta United has announced plans to own and operate a second-division team that will play at Lawrenceville's Coolray Field. The squad, which will help the club with player development and bringing in new players, will play in the United Soccer League beginning in the 2018 season.

The club's name and crest will be announced in the coming months, Atlanta United said in a news release.

"This is a great opportunity for our club’s long-term success to be able to bridge the gap between our best in class academy and our first team," Atlanta United President Darren Eales said. "Establishing a top-level academy was the first priority for our club and while our staff has done a marvelous job in identifying and developing young players, the next step has always been to create the pathway for the 18-to-19-year-old player who needs to continue his development before competing for a starting position at the MLS level."

Eales said the second-division team will let Atlanta United develop players from as young as 12 years old all the way to the first team. Before, the club had partnered with the Charleston Battery of the US League.

The development league has been a part of Major League Soccer since 2013 and has more than 30 teams across the United States and Canada.

In their first season, Atlanta United finished with 15 wins, 10 draws and nine losses, becoming just the third team in MLS history to make it to the playoffs in their inaugural year. They lost a first round playoff tilt with the Columbus Crew on penalty kicks.

Owned by Arthur Blank, the Five Stripes averaged crowds of more than 48,000 at their home games, which were split between Bobby Dodd Stadium and the new Mercedes-Benz stadium.

Open tryouts for the new USL team in Gwinnett will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta. More information for that event can be found here.

The team will train alongside Atlanta United players and academy teams at the Marietta facility and play at Coolray Field, which is already home to the Gwinnett Brave minor league squad. For soccer games, the field will have seating capacity of 10,427.

"The Gwinnett Sports Commission is extremely excited to have Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United organization, via the USL, join our existing professional sports franchises in Gwinnett," said Stan Hall, the commission's director. "Gwinnett has long been a soccer stronghold, and we expect great success as the USL and professional soccer is introduced to our area and our fans."

Atlanta United forward Hector Villalba (15) takes a shot during the shootout of an MLS playoff soccer game against Columbus Crew, in Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. The Columbus Crew won in a 3-1 shootout. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)