World Cup Star Breel Embolo to Hear the Verdict of Atlanta in MLS Debut

Atlanta United are searching for the road back to the glory days, and Switzerland’s World Cup star Breel Embolo has hopped in the driver’s seat.

After the Five Stripes shelled out a whopping $18 million transfer fee to French Ligue 1’s Stade Rennais for the star forward, Embolo inked a four-year deal, bringing him stateside through the 2029–30 MLS season.

Now, he’s ready to take on the responsibility that will come with being such a marquee signing in a highly-enthused MLS market that has drawn an average of over 52,000 fans per game in recent years, back when the team ranked among the best in the league.

Atlanta United, which entered the league in 2017, used to be a preeminent force in MLS. They won the 2018 MLS Cup and qualified for the 2019 Eastern Conference final, a year that also saw them triumph in the U.S. Open Cup. Since then, though, there have been dark days, highlighted by only three playoff appearances, all without advancing past the second round.

Atlanta Not Afraid of Spending

Breel Embolo could play his first MLS minutes with Atlanta United on Saturday. | Atlanta United

The failure to contend for trophies hasn’t stopped Atlanta from shelling out cash, though. The Georgia club holds five of the top-eight highest incoming transfer fees in MLS history. Still, only Ezequiel Barco’s $13 million deal in 2018 and Thiago Almada’s 2022 fee of $15.5 million have brought any modicum of success.

Embolo, ranking second on that list behind the $22 million acquisition of center forward Emmanuel Latte Lath, looks to prevail over his expensive counterparts. Latte Lath, recently loaned to Bundesliga side Union Berlin, scored a mere nine goals and three assists in 44 games, despite his commanding transfer fee and a $3.74 million annual salary.

The 29-year-old Swiss forward stands ready for the challenge and to deal with the weight of being such a financial investment. He’s set to make his debut for the Five Stripes against Charlotte FC on Saturday, as the team sits four points short of the ninth and final MLS Cup playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“The first thing, of course, is that we can say the team is not in the best position. But I think that's my job to help the team to get there, where it belongs," Embolo told reporters at his introductory press conference. “There’s a lot of ambition here. The board and everyone around the club showed me a lot of love, so it was easy for me to come here.

“I want to be making the people around me better. That is something that I love: that everyone has fun. If we get it so that we have a flow and everybody feels that he can score and help the team, then we achieve the most difficult thing.”

Breel Embolo—“A Big Winning Guy”

Eager to rediscover the peak form that he showed with a goal and two assists in Switzerland’s thrilling run to the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals this summer, Embolo has seemingly embraced the unique challenges that come with the grind of an MLS regular season.

It’s not just about finding personal form for Embolo, though. It’s also about creating a long-lasting legacy through winning...and winning a lot.

“The project is to help the team to get where it belongs, and that was, for me, my motivation to come here more than a fear,” Embolo said. “To create a flow where everybody is happy to play, everybody is happy to score and to assist, and we want to get this winning mentality there because that's the thing. I'm maybe not a striker who just wants to score 15 or 30 goals, but I'm a big winning guy.”

His journey, and his efforts to bring the Five Stripes back to the forefront of MLS, begin on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Atlanta fans will decide if their latest pricey transfer is up to the task.

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