Garth Lagerwey will not continue as CEO of Atlanta United FC next season, according to a club spokesperson.
Lagerwey, 52, was diagnosed with cancer in July, which led him to take a leave of absence.
Subsequently, Lagerwey returned with limited capacity, but then took a second leave in October to focus on his recovery.
The spokesperson added that they are already looking for Lagerwey’s successor, who will assume an expanded role that will include overseeing both Atlanta United and the NWSL expansion team.
The NWSL team will begin playing in 2028, and the organization will begin hiring staff in 2026.
Lagerwey joined Atlanta United in 2022 after successfully leading Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC.
With Real Salt Lake, he won the MLS Cup in 2010 and was a finalist in the Concacaf Champions League in 2012.
With the Sounders, Lagerwey won two MLS Cup titles in 2016 and 2019, as well as the Concacaf Champions League in 2022.
The arrival of Lagerwey was expected to mark a new era in Atlanta, but his arrival failed to stop the team’s decline.
While the team had a brief recovery in 2023 and achieved a memorable playoff victory against Inter Miami in 2024, their overall performance in the league continued to deteriorate, culminating in 14th place in the Eastern Conference this season, 25 points away from the last playoff spot.
This situation arises even though Atlanta remains one of the clubs that spends the most in the league. The most recent salary report from the MLS Players Association placed Atlanta in third place in the league, with spending of $28.48 million.
Atlanta has a wealth of experience in the office, with Director of Football Chris Henderson, hired in December of last year, ready to take charge of squad building alongside new coach Gerardo Martino. On the business side, the club has been led by Sarah Kate Noftsinger and Dimitrios Efstathiou.
