By bringing in a substitute for Francisco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa, Atlanta United opens two U22 inaugural spots.
This will be Ibarra’s second loan out from Atlanta; the first was to Toronto FC in the latter part of the 2023 MLS season. With 59 career appearances and 3,520 minutes played, the 22-year-old has played for Atlanta.
Ibarra gave the team one assist during that period. For his part, Sosa’s position with Atlanta gradually grew smaller. In 2021, the 24-year-old Sosa became a member of Atlanta and played 70 games with the team. He recorded two goals and one assist when he was there.
It is obvious that Atlanta no longer thinks highly enough of Ibarra or Sosa to keep them on the team in order to fill U22 Initiative slots. Atlanta is eager to let go of Ibarra and Sosa in order to make room for someone with more recent, younger talent.
Atlanta has added MLS veterans Dax McCarty and Bartosz Slisz from Legia Warsaw, but they are also making room in their defensive midfield. Edwin Mosquera, a winger, is the sole player from Atlanta currently participating in the U22 Initiative roster.
What interests me about these locations is what Garth Lagerway and Gonzalez Pineda accomplish with them. Being one of the MLS’s front office gurus, Garth might soon have some very great players filling these spots.